Aston Martin co-owner Lawrence Stroll went into great detail on their upcoming Silverstone “campus,” which was created to set them apart from their F1 rivals.
The Aston Martin name returned to Formula 1 for 2021 after the Stroll consortium bought a stake in the luxury automaker.
A recruiting campaign is ongoing as the team seeks the championship title over the next five years as the current Silverstone factory, passed down through the team’s many incarnations, is swapped for a much more modern facility.
In fact, Stroll doesn’t want it to be called a factory as this basic set will house not only the F1 team but other stores across the board and will be a place with way more than just equipment to build an F1 car.
“Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, it is two years behind the original schedule, I was hoping that we would be there today,” said Stroll in an interview with GP Racing Magazine.
“The most important tool for any Formula 1 team is the newest and most modern campus – it’s a campus, not a factory. We will have three buildings with facilities including a restaurant, gym and wind tunnel.
“In my opinion, we will have the best Formula 1 fitness center by far.
“There will be outdoor running and walking and we will have outdoor entertainment, therapists, fitness trainers and physical therapists. It’s about a healthy body, a healthy mind.
“In the plans for the three buildings on campus, the building in the center focuses on wellness and will have the best Formula 1 restaurant. We will eat a lot with the farm-to-table concept, with fitness classes in the morning and in the evening. The better you feel, the better you think. “
Such a great design won’t come cheap, of course, but in the Formula 1 cost-cap era, Stroll sees itself as the kind of asset that sets it apart from its competitors while competing financially on a balanced basis.
“I think that’s what sets us apart from our competitors. It’s a huge investment, ”he said.
“To win in Formula 1, you have to have the right leadership and vision and, as in any business, you have to have the right finances. And frankly, with the new financial rules, it will really level the net out. We are no longer outdone by our competitors: We have the same budget as the two top teams. “
A wind tunnel wasn’t part of the original plans, but Andrew Green, the team’s chief technical officer, caused a change of heart.
An expensive but additional expense that Stroll had no problem with.
“We invest to build a business for the future. I think I’ve never spent too much, I’ve never lost, ”he said.
The Formula 1 and road vehicle businesses now operate under the banner of Aston Martin Performance Technologies under the direction of Martin Whitmarsh, who retired in September 2021 after previously serving as CEO of McLaren Racing between 2004 and 2013.
While this new campus will primarily house Aston Martin’s F1 operations, some design and technology functions are expected to move from the road vehicle side to where other undefined companies are added.
However, Stroll made it clear that this won’t be a distraction for the Aston Martin F1 team, saying they were “one of the main pillars” of the campus, a central element of the overall goal of becoming Formula 1 champions.
“Formula 1 will be by far one of the main pillars of this group,” explained Stroll.
“We’ll have other businesses under Performance Technologies and maybe other racing activities in the years to come. We will have a group of 700-800 professionals with knowledge that can be shared in other areas of the business.
“I don’t see a performance technology business as a distraction from Formula One. The goal is to become world champion, that is the purpose of the new campus and the hiring offensive. Everything is based and geared towards Formula 1. “
