Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff were pictured together in the Marina Bay hospitality area ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. The weekend got off to a complicated start, with Friday’s second practice disrupted by red flags and yellow flags, but while track action was stop-start, the paddock sparked plenty of conversation.All teams struggled to complete long runs under the lights, leaving little clarity on the competitive order heading into qualifying. But what caught the eye of the fans online was the photo, shared by Formula Directa on X, showing the two executives in discussion.Their relationship has been under scrutiny in recent years. Toto Wolff holds shares in Aston Martin and has long been associated with Stroll’s project. The Silverstone-based team has sourced its engines from Mercedes since 2021 and is in the final year of their partnership. AM has decided to take it from Honda for 2026.After a tough 2021 and 2022 campaign, tensions appeared to grow between the two. But recent seasons have seen the relationship improve, with Wolff and Lawrence Stroll now often spotted in the paddock together.Both Mercedes and Aston Martin endured mixed fortunes on Friday in Singapore, leaving their bosses focused on how to turn one-lap pace into race-day performance. While recent rumors link Christian Horner with a move to Aston Martin following his split from Red Bull, Stroll’s presence alongside Wolff's underlined the continuity at the top of both organizations.Aston Martin wants to "fight for points on Sunday" after promising Friday in SingaporeFernando Alonso with Lawrence Stroll before the F1 Grand Prix of Spain. Source: GettyOn track, Aston Martin produced one of their strongest opening days in recent memory. Fernando Alonso topped FP1 with a 1:31.116s lap, looking quick on both medium and soft tires despite running on a fresh surface. He backed that up with P4 in FP2, clocking a 1:30.877.Lance Stroll struggled in FP1, finishing 18th, but improved to P6 in FP2 with a 1:31.222s run. The progress raised hopes of both AMR25s fighting for Q3 in Saturday’s qualifying session. Fernando Alonso was upbeat after the session."Since the first lap in FP1, I felt quite comfortable with the car and I was able to find the limits quite quickly. The red flags didn’t help to show the full picture on the timesheets, and the real test is tomorrow in Qualifying. Let’s see what we can do and hopefully fight for points on Sunday," he said (via F1).That optimism is tempered by recent form. Between Alonso and Stroll, Aston Martin has just 10 Q3 appearances across 17 rounds this season, and neither driver has scored points in the last two races. However, Alonso’s track record at Marina Bay is strong, with two victories and three further podiums.