When Lawrence Stroll rebranded his Racing Point team Aston Martin in 2021 – and launched their new era with a star-studded cast that included James Bond lead Daniel Craig and NFL legend Tom Brady – it gave a flavour of what was to come. Stroll wanted to become the best in Formula 1 and he was prepared to do whatever it took to achieve that goal.
The five campaigns that followed that launch have been challenging to say the least. While they have shown glimmers of potential, reaching the podium nine times – plus almost winning the Monaco Grand Prix in 2023 – becoming one of the consistent frontrunners has so far alluded them.
To be fair to Stroll, he has done a lot to make this project a success. The Canadian has built a state-of-the-art factory on the grounds where Eddie Jordan ran his Grand Prix team at Silverstone and spent millions on a class-leading wind tunnel and driver simulator.