Lawrence Stroll is looking to sell a $150 million (£74m) stake in his Aston Martin Formula 1 team, but it’s not because the Canadian businessman is looking to exit the sport.
Instead, the sale is in order to inject more funding into the Aston Martin road car operation, which is coming off a fluctuating sales results in 2023 and ‘24, while trying to ramp up its new line-up, which includes its new mid-engine Valhalla supercar.
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Stroll, through his Yew Tree Consortium, purchased a 16.7 per cent stake in Aston Martin in 2020 and this latest move is expected to increase that to 33 per cent ownership. This came after Stroll had taken over the Racing Point team in 2018, with the deal allowing him to re-brand the F1 squad as the factory Aston Martin operation.
“I am pleased to clearly demonstrate my unwavering support and commitment to Aston Martin,” Stroll said. “Since 2020, my Yew Tree Consortium partners and I have invested around £600m into the company.
“This proposed investment further underscores my conviction in this extraordinary brand, and commitment to ensuring Aston Martin has the strongest possible platform for creating long-term value while reducing equity dilution via this premium subscription, which should greatly reassure shareholders, as I again increase my long-term ownership in the company.”
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He made it clear that this increased involvement in the road car business at the expense of a stake in the F1 team is no sign of any lack of commitment to the racing operation.
“These moves demonstrate that Aston Martin’s place on the Formula 1 grid is as secure as ever,” he said. “AML [Aston Martin Lagonda] recently re-committed to its long-term sponsorship and licensing agreement with AMF1, confirming that the legendary Aston Martin brand and its British racing green colours will compete in Formula 1 for decades to come.”
Stroll even told Bloomberg that he may go a step further and take Aston Martin private, slamming the current valuation of Britain’s answer to Ferrari, although he gave no timeline on when such a significant deal could take place.
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“The company is severely undervalued and its stock market valuation of around £650 million is a joke,” Stroll told Bloomberg.
“Could [taking it private] be something for the future? Potentially, yes. Never say never. Is it on my radar screen to do in the next fortnight? No, but never say never.”
Aston Martin recently launched its new Vantage sports car and Vanquish super GT in Australia as part of its model overhaul, which has already seen the launch of the DB12 and DBX and will soon add the Valhalla.
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