Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team owner Lawrence Stroll has tempered expectations for the upcoming season, indicating that winning races will require time following the recent rule changes.
¡°We don¡¯t really go in with expectations. We¡¯re going to try our best, do the best we can,¡± the Canadian billionaire said Monday in an interview. ¡°This set of rules is here with us for five years so it¡¯s not about the first race or two, it¡¯s about the next five years.¡±
The most drastic changes to power regulations in years have given hope to smaller teams in 2026 that they can challenge the likes of McLaren and Red Bull Racing. Aston Martin finished seventh out of 10 teams last year but hired star designer Adrian Newey from Red Bull, raising expectations that it could compete with the top teams.
¡°We started a little bit behind our competitors. Adrian only joined us in March, we didn¡¯t get our first car into the wind tunnel until April, slightly behind our competitors,¡± said Stroll as his team unveiled its new cars in Saudi Arabia.
Although struggling on the track, Aston Martin has been adept at signing new sponsorship deals. Last week, Breitling AG said it will become the official watch partner of the Aston Martin Formula One team, while other deals this year include AI firm Cognition and energy drink Celsius.
While revenue has dramatically increased after Stroll first invested in the team in 2018 and re-branded the team in 2021, it has struggled to turn a profit.
Stroll isn¡¯t looking to sell any more shares in the F1 team, he said. Other teams have recently cashed in on the investor demand for F1 teams at bumper valuations. This includes Mercedes F1 Chief Executive Officer Toto Wolff, who sold part of his stake at a record $6 billion valuation.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.