F1 Mogul Bernie Ecclestone Waged War Against Multi Billionaire Lawrence Stroll by Doubting His F1 Takeover Intentions in 2014

After the sport was purchased by Liberty Media in 2017 from CVC, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who is now relegated to the sport’s past, once provided a glimpse into the thoughts of billionaire Lawrence Stroll when the community pondered the F1 tycoon’s entry into the premier league of racing.

In 2014, Mr. Stroll considered purchasing all or a portion of the business, which held a 12.3% stake in Delta Topco. According to a 2013 article in the British newspaper The Guardian, the CVC wanted to value Formula One at $12 billion, which would make Lehman’s ownership worth $1.5 billion. Mr. Stroll has the resources to take over the fortune, which Forbes pegs at $2.4 billion. When talking about Strolls’ wealth, it’s important to remember that while he contributed to the creation of the Tommy Hilfiger clothing brand, the majority of his wealth came from the American design house Michael Kors, which he made public in 2011.

Stroll owns the Canadian Circuit Mont Tremblant and was spotted at the Monaco Grand Prix that year, and these things taken together led to rumours about Stroll’s investment in Formula One. So it’s not like the multibillionaire has no connection to sports.

However, Ecclestone stated some words which appeared that he intended to start a battle with the multi-billionaire since the billionaire had more money than was needed. He said in an interview with Forbes, “Nobody knows if Lawrence is buying into F1. Everybody talks. A deal has definitely not been done. I doubt that he will buy F1.”

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When the Lawrence Stroll-led consortium purchased Force India, the team was in grave difficulties financially. Stroll then substantially revamped the team in collaboration with Aramco and Cognizant, renaming it Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant. And as of right now, the Canadian Billionaire has significantly increased his ownership stake in the Silverstone based outfit.

Recent investment by Lawrence Stroll produced a big increase

Through his father, Leo, Lawrence Stroll had access to the commercial and financial worlds. And Lawrence expanded the company by bringing Ralph Lauren to Europe. Later, he made investments in fashion companies including Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger. He now owns a sizable 23% share of Aston Martin thanks to his most recent investment.

According to Morningstar UK, “Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC – Gaydon, Warwickshire-based luxury car maker – Executive Chair Lawrence Stroll buys 1.7 million shares via Yew Tree Overseas Ltd at prices ranging from GBP0.90 ($1.09) to GBP1.29 ($1.56), worth GBP1.8 million ($2.17 million), on Wednesday to Friday last week and on Monday. Now has 23% stake, up from 19%.”

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The upcoming season will start in a few months, and the Silverstone-based team will unquestionably want to improve on their results from the second half of last year as we head into 2023. In light of this, do you believe Stroll’s significant investment will enable the team to contend for championships in the coming years?