Some Aston Martin staff reportedly want Fernando Alonso replaced in favour of Carlos Sainz.
Alonso enjoyed tremendous success with the Silverstone-based squad in their first season together last year. He scored eight podiums over the course of the campaign and finished fourth in the drivers' championship with more than double the points scored by team-mate Lance Stroll.
Yet, it seems not everyone within Aston Martin is committed to a future with F1's elder statesman. According to Motorsport.com, there are "factions" among staff who want to see the back of Alonso.
They reportedly want one Spanish race-winner replaced with another, given the availability of Sainz. The 29-year-old is on the move at the end of the year after Ferrari chose to give his seat to Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz has started the season strongly regardless with a win and two more podiums. That impressive form has attracted interest from top teams - Mercedes definitely need a new driver to replace Hamilton, while Red Bull could choose to bring in a fresh face instead of Sergio Perez.
But Aston Martin could also be on that list of parties interested in the Madrid-born racer's services. As well as Audi, the Motorsport.com report suggests the team owner by Canadian billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll could also be in contention for his signature.
It claims: "Sources have revealed that factions within Aston Martin want him to join the Silverstone outfit for 2025 alongside Lance Stroll and lead it into the new F1 rules era from 2026, rather than continue with Fernando Alonso."
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Sainz had wanted to stay at Ferrari but has been considering his other options for months, including talks last year with Audi over their F1 project which officially begins in 2026. Now that it has been confirmed that there is no room at Maranello for him, the Spaniard has been talking to "pretty much" every team on the grid with a vacancy.
And he hopes to get some clarity in the coming weeks over where he will be racing next year. He said: "I'm talking to a few [teams] because that's what my management team and myself should do when I don't have a job for next year yet. So, we're talking to pretty much all of them.
"It's just a matter of obviously going more into detail and seeing the more realistic options and what are the best options for me and for my future, which I don't have any news for you or nothing to say here. The only thing I would say is that, obviously it's time now to speed up a bit everything and hopefully we can get it sorted sooner rather than later."