F1 supremo 'feels sorry for Stroll' in brutal Aston Martin putdown

Lance Stroll, Lawrence Stroll, social — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 supremo 'feels sorry for Stroll' in brutal Aston Martin putdown

The Stroll name divides opinion among F1 fans

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 28 February 2026 18:58

Aston Martin have found themselves caught up in a painfully honest assessment of their chances in F1, delivered by none other than the original F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The British luxury brand were brought into the pinnacle of motorsport back in 2021 when Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll acquired the rights to the name, allowing him to pull off a successful rebrand of the team formerly known as Racing Point.

The outfit managed to shed the bubblegum pink and bright blue colourway synonymous with F1 sponsor BWT, with Alpine inheriting it, and now, Stroll's team carry the infamous Aston Martin racing green shade on their F1 machinery instead.

Article continues under video

But even after a ginormous cash injection from Stroll who has shown he will do just about anything to give his son Lance a chance at competing for a championship, Aston Martin's chances of a title campaign are at an all time low.

F1 HEADLINES: Lewis Hamilton issues warning over ‘real test’ as Ferrari fumble could cost 2026 title

Will Stroll's Aston Martin cash injection work?

Even after getting F1 design legend Adrian Newey to sign on the dotted line to join Aston Martin in a five-year deal which is reportedly worth £30m a year, Stroll's chances of catapulting his squad to success look slim.

After a disaster start to the year that saw Stroll's outfit complete the least amount of laps in both the January Barcelona shakedown and the February pre-season testing in Bahrain, the team's works partner Honda uncovered a battery-related issue that brought their running in the desert to a disappointing close.

Following Aston Martin's 2026 setbacks, Ecclestone was quoted by Swiss-German publication Blick as saying: "The fact that there's always a missing piece in the title puzzle is best illustrated by Ferrari. They've been searching for the missing pieces for almost 20 years, despite having the best prerequisites, drivers, and the necessary money.

The man credited with masterminding F1's commercialisation then delivered a particularly brutal honest truth to Aston Martin, adding: "You can't buy the Formula 1 World Championship title. If everything doesn't come together, you'll spend your whole life chasing that big success. That's why I feel sorry for Lawrence Stroll."

F1 Aston Martin Lance Stroll Lawrence Stroll Bernie Ecclestone