SUMMARY
- Aramco to become Aston Martin's new title parner from 2024.
- Aramco will take a controlling interest in the team.
Aston Martin has been operating under Lawrence Stroll’s leadership so far. Although the team principal has been Mike Krack, the buck stops with Stroll when it comes to decision-making. However, this might change as a major sponsor looks to gain control over the team.
Since the 2019 season, Lawrence Stroll has had a controlling interest in the team. He has been deciding a lot of things for the team including their driver lineups. With this, he has been able to keep one seat on the team for his son, Lance Stroll. However, there is some news that puts this in doubt.
Aston Martin’s new title partners will have more power than Stroll
Back in 2023, Aston Martin announced that Aramco would be their title partner from the 2024 season onwards. They will be replacing Cognizant who were the team’s title partner from the 2021 season. With Aramco becoming the title partner, they are looking to take a more controlling interest in the team.
🚨 ÚLTIMA HORA: Aramco quiere que Lance Stroll puntúe regularmente en 2024.
👉 A partir del pasado 1 de enero, Lawrence Stroll ya no tiene la potestad de decidir exclusivamente sobre el futuro de su hijo en el equipo.
👉 El nuevo acuerdo entre Aramco y Aston Martin hasta 2028… pic.twitter.com/FitscU5Xz1
— Fórmula Directa (@FormulaDirecta) January 10, 2024
It has been reported that their agreement allows Aramco to make certain decisions on behalf of the team. This includes decisions on driver lineups and key personnel. However, this means that Lawrence Stroll will no longer have decision-making power with the team. This new agreement with Aramco started on January 1st of this year.
Aramco signed their new agreement until the 2028 season. It is probable that this partnership will go on for longer if it turns out to be successful. They will be looking to win a few races and even the Championship with the help of this partnership. It will be interesting to see how the team goes forward with his partnership.
Powerless Lawrence Stroll cannot save his son from Aston Martin sacking
Since Lawrence Stroll will no longer have much power on the team, his son’s seat comes under risk. It is the common conception that Lance Stroll is driving for Aston Martin because his father owns the team. However, with Aramco now taking control of the team, Lance Stroll could be on the way out.
During his career in F1, Lance Stroll has only been able to outscore a teammate once. This was during the 2018 season where he outscored Sergei Sirotkin. Since then, he has not been able to repeat this accomplishment. During the 2023 season, he was embarrassingly slower than Fernando Alonso.
Alonso 🆚 Stroll
The @AstonMartinF1 duo’s 2023 season in numbers 🔍#F1 pic.twitter.com/LuNoKNiLGs
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 18, 2023
While Alonso was fighting for podiums against teams like Red Bull and Mercedes, Stroll was struggling to finish in the points. Stroll finished the 2023 season with just 74 points. His teammate, Alonso on the other hand managed to score 206 points while finishing 4th in the Championship.
If Lance is not able to score points more consistently, he will lose his seat after the 2024 season. Even Fernando Alonso will be out of a contract after 2024. However, if the Spaniard chooses to remain with the team, Aston Martin would be happy to do so since he has been performing for the team. However, the same cannot be said for Stroll.