If at 63 years of age the world catches us surrounded by race cars going 350 kilometers per hour without the need to take Trankimazines, we will know that we have succeeded in life. At least a little bit. This is the case of Lawrence Stroll, the leader of Aston Martin, who convinced Fernando Alonso to join his bodywork. But who is this gentleman? Should we know him beforehand? Would we want to be friends with a sexagenarian car racing fanatic? Let’s take a look at him.
Who is Lawrence Stroll?
Lawrence Stroll was born in Montreal in 1959 and is, right now, very close to being one of the thousand richest people in the world, according to Forbes. Specifically, he is the 1012nd person with the most money, managing $3 billion. Nothing, small change. It should be noted that although his position in the top has dropped (in 2020 he was in position 804), it is not because he has become poorer, but because other people have become richer.
What is this man doing in Formula 1?
After becoming a fashion totem in 2011 and selling his shares in 2014, Stroll took over a Formula One team, Force India, before becoming executive chairman of Aston Martin in 2020 after investing $235 million in the company. The weekly paycheck, wow. As part of the deal, Aston Martin returned to Formula 1 by transforming his team into the brand’s official team. His son, by the way, is part of the team. Nepo baby automobilist.
Why did you want Fernando Alonso?
As he has been there all his life, it sometimes seems to us that Fernando Alonso must already be on the verge of retirement, but the truth is that he is only 41 years old and still has a career ahead of him. After a few years away from Formula 1, he returned in July 2021 with Renault. He came tenth, improving on his 2018 ranking, where he was a little behind. He still has much to improve to return to the 2005-2006 era, but Alonso wanted a change of scenery and Stroll spoke with him to convince him: “These are my plans for the future,” he told him. And the Spaniard agreed. If only there were much more to tell.
How’s the alliance going?
Well… So far Alonso has three third place finishes in a long-term plan to win. Can the money of one and the instinct of another combine in success? Who knows. We’ll be here to watch (miles per hour permitting).
