Lawrence Stroll ensured his son wanted for little as he glided through the junior categories on his ascent to Formula 1.
His debut with Williams in 2017 followed a series of private F1 tests the likes of which few drivers at the time enjoyed. But within two years of his debut the Strolls had grown frustrated with Williams’ travails.
When the Force India team ran into trouble in 2018, Stroll pounced. He beat rival bidders including the Andrettis, who are still seeking a way into F1, and fellow billionaire racing father Dmitry Mazepin (whose son Nikita later drove for Haas) who tried to sue Force India’s administrators after they declined his offer.
In short Esteban Ocon was extracted from the cockpit and Stroll was installed in the F1 team which now belonged to his father. But this was only the beginning of the Stroll F1 project.
Lawrence Stroll did not amass a fortune estimated at $3.9 billion through unwise investments, and Force India was undoubtedly a shrewd purchase. Fourth places in the 2016 and 2017 championships were clear signs of a team punching well above its weight.
He has spent the last five years transforming it into a heavyweight. That much is clear from the enviable facilities at their expanded Silverstone base, the first major new building for an F1 team in almost two decades, tailored perfectly to the needs of the budget cap era. A new wind tunnel and driver-in-the-loop simulator are due to come on stream in the near future to ensure their development team wants for nothing.
That team has a new name, of course, Stroll having taken over the Aston Martin road car brand and applied its identity to his F1 team in 2021.
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F1’s new technical regulations will arrive in 2026 including its first new power units for 12 years. Stroll’s decision to pursue a works engine deal with Honda speaks volumes about the scale of his ambition compared to that of certain rivals.
Renault, through its Alpine brand, is preparing to throw in the towel and abandon its F1 engine project. They plan to give up building their own F1 engines, surrendering the huge potential advantage that could bring them if they beat their rivals, and take the very units Aston Martin are discarding.
Not that their Mercedes motors currently put Aston Martin at a disadvantage, but that the potential benefits of taking a works engine…
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