Tag: Lawrence Stroll

Stroll optimistic Newey will join Aston Martin

Aston Martin co-owner and executive chairman Lawrence Stroll says he hopes to secure Adrian Newey’s services and is “very excited” by the prospect, as he has been chasing the legendary designer for a number of years. Newey (pictured above) announced …

Aston Martin co-owner and executive chairman Lawrence Stroll says he hopes to secure Adrian Newey’s services and is “very excited” by the prospect, as he has been chasing the legendary designer for a number of years.

Newey (pictured above) announced his plans to depart from Red Bull after nearly two decades earlier this year, with the 65-year-old then taking some time off to evaluate his next move. He has been linked with a number of Formula 1 teams since news of his availability broke, but the most likely destinations were believed to be Aston Martin and Ferrari, and Stroll told the Bloomberg news agency he believes a deal is close.

“I certainly hope so,” Stroll said when asked if Newey would be joining Aston Martin. “Adrian and I have been talking not only for months but actually for years.

“Adrian is clearly the most talented and gifted individual in Formula 1 based on his track record and history, in addition to being a hell of a gentleman. So I’d be very excited for Adrian to join our team, as I think every other Formula 1 team on the grid would feel exactly the same.”

When it was put to Stroll that he has been pulling out all of the stops to secure Newey, the Aston Martin owner added: “You can definitely assume that.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Newey’s arrival at Aston Martin could be announced as early as next week, with Aston Martin having scheduled a press conference at its headquarters on Tuesday ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Red Bull chief technical officer is due to continue working with his current team until the end of this season, leaving his position in the first quarter of 2025 but maintaining links through his RB17 road car project that was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this summer.

Aston Martin is currently fifth in the F1 constructors’ championship with 74 points, 40 clear of RB in sixth but over 200 points adrift of Mercedes in fourth, and has secured just one top-five finish all season.

On Tuesday the team announced what it described as “a significant milestone in its preparation for the new 2026 F1 regulations” in the form of a technical collaboration agreement signed Aston Martin and its key partners Aramco, Honda and Valvoline. The team says the collaboration “aims to leverage each of the world-class partners’ expertise and technology to create the best possible opportunities” from the start of the new F1 regulations in 2026.

Aston Martin’s Krack says Stroll demands add clarity rather than pressure

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack believes the lack of satisfaction from owner Lawrence Stroll brings clarity to what is required from his team rather than adds pressure. Fernando Alonso has finished on the podium in each of the opening three …

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack believes the lack of satisfaction from owner Lawrence Stroll brings clarity to what is required from his team rather than adds pressure.

Fernando Alonso has finished on the podium in each of the opening three race as Aston Martin enjoys a clear step forward compared to last season and is currently second in the constructors’ championship. Despite that, Krack (pictured at left, above) says Stroll’s approach is to focus on how far away the team is from winning races and championships and the German says it’s helpful for the team to have certainty over what is expected.

“It’s easy, Lawrence’s mission statement is very clear — he has not been having any delay in asking us, ‘When are we going to win the next one?’” Krack said. “Obviously he’s happy that we have made a step but this is not enough for his ambitions and the good thing is you know where you are standing — he wants more and we will have to deliver more.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Last year, Aston Martin impressively developed its car and closed the gap to other midfield teams after a poor start, but Krack says the strength of the front-running teams then prevents others from picking up too many points.

“In a cost cap environment with such intensity of racing you have to start with a good car, because to play catch-up all year, if you are down on points then it’s quite impossible. You could see there was not much to score, even if you had the fourth fastest car last year we were not scoring enough to make up for any gaps.

“So we have managed last year to develop the car substantially, now we start from a higher baseline, so it will be not as easy as it was last year but we have to make progress if we want to stay where we are, because if we don’t do anything we will go back. I am quite confident we can bring performance upgrades onto the car but because it’s relative, only time will tell if this is sufficient or not.”

Krack is confident in the direction Aston Martin is planning to take with its development plan, having analyzed the impact of certain changes to back up its decisions.

“We tried several small things to understand our car better before rushing into going in one direction or another one. I think we know roughly what we have to do and this is what has already started and what has been confirmed and will continue now.”