Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll reveals what convinced him to put money on Force India and change it to a rising team in F1.
Force India came out of administration in August 2018, when Lawrence Stroll purchased the team. Initially rebranded as Racing Point Force India, the team converted itself to Racing Point ahead of the 2019 campaign.
Later, when Stroll purchased 16.7% in Aston Martin, he brought the brand back to the F1 grid as a full-fledged team. Now, the team running on a Mercedes engine seems to be on the right path of progress.
However, like any other investor, Stroll had his doubts before taking over the team. And he reveals that how his doubts were erased when then F1 chief Chase Carey washed away his concerns along with other things.
“I had several meetings with. Chase [Carey, CEO of F1] at the time,” Stroll told GP Racing magazine, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “And that was a very, very important part of my decision process to buy the company or not.”
“He had a great influence on the decision. If there hadn’t been spending limits, I wouldn’t have done it. People – human capital – are a very important factor. I would never have bought a team that was between ninth and tenth position.”
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Force India a force to reckon with- What attracted Stroll?
Keeping Vijay Mallya’s troubles with the Indian government away, the business tycoon managed the team well under a modest budget. Force India under his helm was a staunch midfield side and had his days to upset others, an ideal underdog story that enticed Stroll.
“What impressed me, and the reason for the purchase was that it was a team that operated on a budget of £90 million and only 400 employees (at the time, Mercedes was spending £332 million a year and had 900 employees in Brackley alone), but two years in a row it was fourth in the championship, and it would have been three years without the administration.
“All this with a third of the budget and less than half of the staff of the competitors who were above. There was already a core of 400 very passionate people here, that famous expression, who punch above their weight.
“They did more with fewer employees than other teams, so it was an incredible opportunity to build on an already strong foundation. We didn’t start from scratch.”
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