Sir Lawrence Stoll. It’s a good thing Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll is a Canadian because—owing to the fact that Canada is a Commonwealth country—his demand to be knighted can be fulfilled. Of course, he’ll have to satisfy the criteria to receive the title, but at least he’s got one thing out of the way. But why does he think he should be knighted?
Stroll always had a dream to invest in Formula 1. And he did it in 2018 when he acquired Force India. In a bid to bring Aston Martin back into F1, he invested $231 million in the British car company and became its executive chairman, enabling Aston to return to the pinnacle of motorsport. He believes the way he’s transformed the F1 team, as well as the car company, calls for a knighthood.
Lawrence Stroll has turned Aston Martin around
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Stroll invested in Aston Martin at a time the company was struggling to stay afloat. And then he brought it into F1, and interest in the company sparked. He enticed other companies to invest in Aston, and after Chinese car giant Geely acquired a 17% stake in it, Stroll’s original investment rose to almost $2 billion. Raising these funds allowed him to invest $300 million in a new factory for Aston Martin’s F1 team in Silverstone, and it’s safe to say the new factory has worked wonders.
While talking about all that he’s done to improve the situation around Aston Martin, Stroll stated his staggering demand, According to Auto Car, speaking ahead of Aston’s capital markets day, he said, “I should be knighted for what I’ve done. I’ve saved thousands of jobs and built a new Formula 1 factory with hundreds of millions of investment.” Whether he’ll be knighted is up to the British Empire, but one thing is for sure: if there’s one person who can be credited for Aston Martin’s success in F1 this season, it’s Lawrence Stroll.
From barely being able to compete in the midfield in 2022 to being one of the top teams this season, it’s come a long way. And the $300 million investment in the new factory with a brand-new wind tunnel is working exactly how he envisioned. He took the risk, and Aston Martin F1 is reaping the rewards. But last year, he made another investment that is working wonders.
Fernando Alonso is living up to his expectations
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No one thought Aston Martin would be competing for podiums almost every race weekend this season after the way it was performing last season. And with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso with them from this year on, the team hasn’t put a step wrong. Alonso has stood on the podium six times in the eight races this season. And although a race win seems unlikely, given Red Bull’s pace, he’s maximizing the AMR23’s potential everywhere the F1 circus travels.
After his P2 at the Canadian GP, Aston Martin is just 13 points behind Mercedes in the fight for P2 in the championship. Over and above that, Alonso is just trailing Sergio Perez by 9 points, and he aims to finish P2 even in the drivers’ championship. Given how Aston has been performing this year, both those goals seem to be within reach.
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Do you think Lawrence Stroll will receive an honorary knighthood for what he’s done at Aston Martin?
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