Aston Martin’s rough start to the 2026 Formula 1 season might end up being a significant moment for Lawrence Stroll’s time in charge of the team.
Stroll led a group that took over Force India back in 2018, later renaming the team Racing Point.
At the same time, his son Lance was already racing for Racing Point. By 2021, the team had been rebranded as Aston Martin.
Stroll has always shown big ambitions as owner, having convinced world champions like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso to join, along with current team principal Adrian Newey.
But early testing has hinted that this season could be a tough one for Aston Martin.
Newey hasn’t found an immediate fix for their slow pace in Bahrain, and Peter Hardenacke has started hearing rumours about Stroll’s commitment to the project.
Behind-the-scenes Aston Martin talks begin after slow 2026 F1 start
Hardenacke discussed Aston Martin’s situation on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast with Ralf Schumacher, shedding light on the growing uncertainty around Lawrence Stroll’s future with the team.
He explained: “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes in Formula 1.
“There were rumours that the Saudis wanted to buy Aston Martin, right? Lawrence of Arabia would have been Lawrence Stroll, and even now, you still hear a lot about how there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
“American investors who are also interested in Formula 1 at Renault, of course, Horner’s name keeps coming up, but there are also other players who are probably interested.
“That’s what I heard again last week. Do you think Aston Martin could be another case of Lawrence losing interest? Formula 1 is perhaps at its peak, saying, ‘Okay, thank you, goodbye.’
Ralf Schumacher questions Lawrence Stroll’s role in Aston Martin’s early struggles
With the season just getting underway, Aston Martin are already worried about falling behind, and Honda have been short on parts even before the Australian Grand Prix.
Reflecting on the team’s rough start, Schumacher added: “Whether he [Newey] made a mistake is open to question because the wind tunnel wasn’t working or delivered incorrect results, so that had to be addressed first.
“But I also think it’s a fact that Lawrence Stroll’s approach isn’t very helpful if that’s really the case. So we need to stay calm now because otherwise, a team like this will really fall apart before it has even started.
“Newey is more than financially independent. The same applies to Stroll, of course, and the same applies to Fernando Alonso, and if the three of them don’t stick together, then that will be a problem.
“They absolutely have to. I would say that Lance Stroll is still playing a minor role and as far as Honda is concerned. I can imagine they are being very critical about the issue internally but something needs to be done now to support the team.”
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