Why Verstappen fits perfectly into the picture of Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll

Early on in Lawrence Stroll's tenure, it became clear why he had been successful as a businessman. Lance Stroll's father does not wait quietly to make choices, he cuts a knot when he has to and is willing to put money on the table to do so.

Sergio Perez, for example, had a 2021 contract with Racing Point, which would be renamed Aston Martin. Lawrence Stroll, however, saw his chance when Sebastian Vettel became free on the market. The four-time world champion was tempted by Stroll to make the switch, Perez's contract was bought off.

Lawrence Stroll tempts Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel

For Perez, it was extra sour. After all, a year before, he had put his own head on the chopping block for the team. In the saga surrounding the takeover, it was Perez who stepped forward to save the team from bankruptcy, allowing Lawrence Stroll to take over. A year later, he was thanked for his services.

After Vettel, Stroll staged another coup in 2023. Then it was Fernando Alonso, who just wouldn't sign a one-year deal at Alpine, who was won over by Stroll. Another great champion who came to drive for the team that still bivouacked in the middle of the pack.

However, the move to Aston Martin proved to be a success for Alonso. In his first season for the team, he drove to 8 podiums. Aston Martin was particularly strong at the start of the season, after which the car declined throughout the season. That trend continued in 2024.

Aston Martin attracts star designers

Not only does Stroll go for the absolute best with the drivers, he does the same for the technical people. Initially, Dan Fallows became the new technical man. The man who was successful under Adrian Newey at Red Bull helped the team to a good start in 2023, but with the development of the car Aston Martin took a wrong turn.

Stroll therefore acted again in 2024 by further scouring the market. First came Enrico Cardile from Ferrari, after which Stroll made the biggest purchase with the acquisition of Adrian Newey. The Red Bull Racing chief was also seduced by Stroll, which immediately meant the end of Fallows within the F1 team.

In addition to the two technical men, a CEO of note was also appointed: Andy Cowell. The man behind the success of Mercedes' hybrid engines was first brought in as CEO, but will also take on the role of team boss in 2025.

In that respect, bringing in Max Verstappen would fit in with Aston Martin's philosophy. With four world titles to his name, Max Verstappen is the second biggest name in F1 after Lewis Hamilton at the moment. Verstappen is still under contract with Red Bull Racing untill 2028, but with Stroll and sponsor Aramco at the helm, money is not an issue for the team.

Aston Martin as F1's Galacticos?

In an exclusive interview with GPblog, then-team boss Mike Krack argued that the comparison with the 'Galacticos' was a great example of how things can work successfully. Yet even then, the Luxembourger pointed out the potential pitfalls of bringing in only big names.

''I'm happy that you cited Real Madrid because they won the Champions League how many times in the last couple of years? (6 out of the last 11) but you see also structures like football is a good example where you bring in big names, superstars but you say also there is other clubs where they didn't work by hiring the big names and maybe expected too much straight away."

"We have a lot of big names but we must not forget we also have a lot of very strong people where the names are maybe not so famous and they are maybe even more important because this is what the whole structure relies on. We rely on all these young engineers that are coming with ideas. Maybe the big names are saying left or right, not like that, but someone has to bring this. We cannot just say we have these three big names. They have to give us ideas. They have to create an environment."

"I think it's important that in the situation that we have, we have a clear mission from Lawrence. Pride has no place for this. We are all team members. All of us are team members and we have to play our part in making this successful and pride has no place for that. It's important that we are collaborating as much as we can, be open, be flexible and open to change."