The Aston Martin name made a return to F1 in 2o21 when Lawrence Stroll renamed the team from Racing Point. The Canadian billionaire, who until recently was one of the major shareholders of the Aston Martin car company, however, could very well be pulling himself out of the British outfit. After selling shares worth $174,000,000 to a Chinese company, Business F1 states that the Aston Martin name itself could be leaving F1.
Aston Martin has made some major progress on the F1 track over the winter break. The team owned by Stroll was struggling to get into the points last year, but with major performance boosts and a new driver lineup of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, things are looking up. Off the track, however, the situation seems to be turbulent, to say the least.
Business F1 reported that Stroll sold a significant portion of his shares to Chinese company Geely, which means that he isn’t the main shareholder of the Aston Martin group anymore. It is to be noted that their F1 team and the car company are two separate entities. The latter pays the former $30,000,000 to have their name in F1, but it could soon change with Stroll’s sale.
Why would Lawrence Stroll take Aston Martin away?
Back in 2021, Lawrence Stroll purchased 25% of Aston Martin Lagonda (the parent company) which made him the biggest shareholder. However, he kept selling off his shares in the months to come, and now, he sold a significant portion to Geely. The Chinese company now owns 17% of the car company, making them the new number one shareholder. This alone isn’t enough for them to take the Aston Martin name away, but Stroll’s latest F1 venture could force them to.
Right after selling his shares to Geely, Stroll flew to Japan to sign off on a deal with Honda. The Japanese manufacturers will supply engines to the team from 2026 onwards, as Stroll aims to guide his outfit to championship winning glory. However, the Aston Martin group won’t be too happy about this particular deal.
Honda themselves make cars, bikes and other appliances, so it is unlikely that Aston Martin would want to use their name on cars powered by them. This is why Business F1 feels that the Aston Martin name will soon make a gradual exit away from F1, regardless of Stroll’s plans.
Will Stroll stay with ‘Team Silverstone’?
Team Silverstone has been a part of F1 for a long time, and gone by many names including Force India and Racing Point. Stroll’s purchase of the AM group back in 2021 brought the iconic British name back to F1, but it was a surety as to how long they would stay. If Stroll pulls out of Aston Martin Lagonda, then the name could stop being associated with F1 once again.
However, this doesn’t point towards Stroll’s departure from F1. In fact, he has stated on multiple occasions that he is committed to taking the team to new heights. With a driver pairing of Alonso and his son Lance, the team has already achieved more than they ever have.
It is safe to say that Stroll will remain with the team, even if it means that Aston Martin exits Formula 1.
