Aston Martin’s billionaire chairman leaves himself in awkward situation

Aston Martin wants to be at the top of Formula One, but its current standing has not been achieved in the way its ambitious owner might have expected. Billionaire Lawrence Stroll decided to move into the sport to create a platform for his son, Lance Stroll to establish himself at the pinnacle of world motorsport.

After six races of the 2023 season, Aston Martin sits second in the Constructor’s Championship on 120 points, just one ahead of Mercedes.

But the slight embarrassment to team owner Stroll is that the majority of those points have been earned by veteran Fernando Alonso, not Stroll Junior.

Former two-time World Champion Alonso has more podium finishes this campaign than any other driver, with the exception of Championship leader Max Verstappen.

The Spaniard has racked up five top-three finishes out of six and came fourth in the other, earning himself and his team a respectable 93 points.

The same cannot be said, however, of Lance Stroll, who so far this season has only managed to put 27 points on the board.

The 24-year-old only has three podium finishes to his name in 128 race starts to date, but teammate Alonso will double that tally this season alone, with just one more top-three finish.

It has led to suggestions from F1 fans that Stroll is simply a ‘Daddy’s boy’ and could be a risk of losing his seat.

Whether the latter is accurate or not remains to be seen, but what is not in doubt is the unwavering ambition of Stroll’s mega-rich father.

Aston Martin Team Principle Mike Krack said: “The team’s mission is very clear. Lawrence has not been having any delay in telling us ‘When are we going to win the next one?’ Obviously, he is happy we have made a step, but this is not enough for his ambitions.

“The good thing with Lawrence is that you know immediately where you stand. He wants more, and we will have to deliver more.”

With a net worth of around $3.6billion (£2.9bn), Stroll Sr invested in Aston Martin back in 2018 when it was still Racing Point. Son Lance, made his debut for Williams in 2017, although reports suggested that he made a payment of around £55m to the British manufacturer at a similar time.

The broad view in F1 is that Aston Martin now boasts the second-best car on the grid this season, leaving Mercedes and Ferrari trailing behind. But that assessment appears to be based on the credible performances of Alonso, not Stroll.