“You’re the Greatest Bunch of Guys”: Lawrence Stroll’s Unheard Message to Aston Martin Workers After Maiden F1 Campaign

Lawrence Stroll took over team Silverstone when he acquired Force India towards the end of the 2018 season. The very next year, the team’s name was changed to Racing Point and it remained so until the 2020 campaign. 2021, however, saw the return of the famous Aston Martin name to F1 after Stroll bought majority shares in the company.

Heading into the 2021 season, Stroll did not hide his ambition of competing for the world championship with Aston Martin, and with a line-up of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, big things were expected. They had a decent start to the year and even earned a podium result when Vettel finished P2 in Baku.

Unfortunately, their performance faded off as the year progressed and they had to settle for seventh in the championship standings. This result wasn’t enough to satisfy Stroll’s ambitious goals, but as it turns out, the Canadian was proud of the effort his team put in that year. After the season ended, he took a moment to appreciate everyone’s effort in the garage.

“You’re the greatest bunch of guys,” said Stroll. Of course, 2022 wasn’t such a great year for Aston Martin either, but they did carry some momentum into the 2023 season.

Aston Martin living up to initial expectations in 2023

At the end of the 2022 season, Sebastian Vettel ended his two year stint with team Silverstone after he decided to retire from F1 altogether. Stroll and Aston Martin were quick to replace him and two-time title winner Fernando Alonso was brought in just days after Vettel announced his departure.

Many questioned Alonso’s arrival and some even called it a bad move for the Spaniard. However, the first two races of the 2023 season have shown that Alonso made the correct call by leaving Alpine and joining Aston martin.

Alonso has two P3 finishes in his first two races for the British team, and is on cloud nine at the moment. After years, the Oviedo-born driver finally has a car that can compete at the front and Alonso could even get his first race win since 2013, this year.

Can Alonso challenge Verstappen for world championship?

Alonso is one of the greatest racing drivers of all time and on equal machinery, could most certainly give reigning champion Max Verstappen a run for his money. Unfortunately for him, Red Bull have built a dominant car this season, which has allowed them to coast to back to back 1-2 finishes in the first two races this year.

Aston Martin have also fielded a competitive car, but if their pace does not improve, there’s no chance of Alonso challenging Verstappen for the championship.