Aston Martin finally get F1 boost with Lawrence Stroll set for landmark £50m deal

lawrence stroll, aston martin, 2024, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

Aston Martin finally get F1 boost with Lawrence Stroll set for landmark £50m deal

The deal will forever link the famous car brand to F1

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Friday 20 February 2026 09:55

Finally there is some good news coming out of Aston Martin after a miserable pre-season so far for the most talked-about team on the F1 grid in 2026.

Excitement was at fever pitch heading into the new year with design genius (and now team principal) Adrian Newey rolling out his first car with the team after joining from Red Bull For £50m per year.

But things have not played out well at all so far, with Lance Stroll admitting last week that the team in green needs to find four seconds per lap to be on pace with its rivals.

Article continues under video

This week has not been a massive improvement, with further issues on Thursday leaving Fernando Alonso stranded on track during testing in Bahrain.

There is at some good news to report this Friday morning - and it concerns the long-term future of the team. Or to be more specific, the name.

Aston Martin will be in F1 'forever'

The F1 team is set to buy the rights from the famous car brand to use the Aston Martin name in perpetuity - that means ‘forever’ to you and me.

The proposed acquisition by Lawrence Stroll and his team will cost a cool £50m, small change for a billionaire of course.

The new pact will extend the existing deal between Aston Martin’s holding company and the F1 team, which had previously run through to 2055 at the latest.

Good news for iconic car brand

As well as strengthening the bond between Aston Martin and F1, the cash injection will also be good news for the car brand too.

Official documents released on Friday confirmed: “The £50m consideration from the Proposed Transaction will enhance the Group's liquidity position.

“The Group continues to expect material improvement in FY 2026 financial performance driven by an enhanced product mix including c.500 Valhalla deliveries, ongoing benefits from the transformation programme and a continued disciplined approach to operations.”

The documents also referenced a very challenging 2025 for the brand, impacted by new tariffs in the US and also “fewer high margin Special deliveries”.

Aston Martin concludes the second of two three-day testing periods in Bahrain today (Friday February 20) with time now running short to make meaningful improvements ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8.

F1 Aston Martin Lawrence Stroll