Billionaire Aston Martin F1 boss Lawrence Stroll under fire for 'lack of patience'

Newey arrives at Aston Martin — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

Billionaire Aston Martin F1 boss Lawrence Stroll under fire for 'lack of patience'

A long road lies ahead of Aston Martin in their journey to the top

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 19 April 2026 09:55 Updated: 11:06

Aston Martin F1 team owner Lawrence Stroll is not embodying the spirit of Gary Barlow and having a little patience.

This is the verdict of one former F1 boss (minus the Take That bit), who believes that Stroll Sr is lacking in this key quality needed to make a Formula 1 team successful.

Lawrence, by all accounts, has made all the right moves to transform Aston Martin into a championship winning team. Big name signings such as Fernando Alonso and Adrian Newey smells of success, while their all new Silverstone facility and state-of-the-art wind tunnel was a sign of intent for the 2026 season.

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But the new rules haven't gone Aston Martin or Honda's way, instead stuck in the fight for last position, that is if they are able to finish a race at all.

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Steiner: Stroll Sr lacks patience

It will be a long road to recovery for Aston Martin, one that requires patience that Project Newey and Honda will eventually bear fruit; but former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Stroll Sr lacks the necessary perseverance for such a task.

Speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast, he said: "You cannot blame Lawrence, what he says he was going to do he did, it just was not successful. He built up the new facility in Silverstone which is fantastic, brought the best people in.

"I think he has not got the patience which is needed in F1. If it doesn’t work, in six or 12 months he changes. The cycle is not 12 months in Formula 1, it’s longer than that. You need to wait until something works."

"I think he’s doing a lot of things right but where he’s lacking is his patience, he needs to be patient.

"He cannot push Honda. Honda will take the time it needs to get this right and he will have no say in that one. He can put pressure on and tell them to hurry up, but they will do it at their pace."

F1 Aston Martin Honda Guenther Steiner Lawrence Stroll