Lewis Hamilton has suggested his Mercedes team-mate George Russell is being prioritised for upgrades.
The Silver Arrows had a more positive outing in Monaco at the weekend following a rocky start to their season. Russell had the edge on his colleague, outpacing Hamilton for the seventh time in eight qualifying sessions this year.
Just the previous week at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Russell had graciously given up sixth place to Hamilton, prompting Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz to quip that he should ask for a bonus for putting the team first.
Mercedes may well have taken Kravitz's comment seriously, as it was Russell who received a new front wing upgrade. Hamilton, during his post-qualifying interview, made the revelation, reports the Express.
"The team have worked really hard back at the factory to bring an upgrade to the last two races and also an upgrade this weekend but we only have one, which George has," he told reporters.
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"I anticipated it would be difficult to outqualify George because he has the upgraded component but it's great to see we are bringing upgrades."
Russell and Hamilton ended the race in fifth and seventh place respectively, mirroring their qualifying positions. Hamilton voiced his annoyance at not securing a better grid spot after showing promise in practice sessions.
"That's definitely frustrating and something I don't have an answer for. I'm not driving any different. The laps were great. Just lacking for some reason."
Hamilton couldn't keep up with his team-mate in Monaco (Getty Images)Hamilton fears he won't be able to out-qualify Russell for the remainder of the season, despite Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's insistence that they are not favouring one driver over the other.
However, it seems inevitable that Russell will be given priority as he is contracted until next year, while Hamilton is set to leave for Ferrari at the end of this season.
The seven-time world champion could have potentially finished in sixth place if Mercedes had instructed him to push harder on his out lap after pitting on lap 51. Wolff confessed that the team was to blame for Hamilton failing to undercut Max Verstappen, which only added to his frustration.
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