Claire Williams envious of Aston Martin: 'Lawrence Stroll was with us!'

Lance Stroll, Lawrence's son, made his debut with Williams in 2017. However, the Stroll family left Williams in 2019 and moved to Force India. He helped pull the team out of administration, and since then, Aston Martin has gone from strength to strength. 

A world-class factory has been built at Silverstone with a new simulator and wind tunnel. Fernando Alonso was signed as a driver, and several big names from the engineering side of Formula 1 have moved to the team, the biggest of which was announced in September. Adrian Newey will move to the team, now known as Aston Martin, in 2025. He will be able to help design the cars for the 2026 season when the new rules and regulations are introduced.

Is Newey worth it?

"I think he's worth it. Adrian is an absolute genius. He spent a long time at Williams. He bought a lot of our World Championships, together with the wider team. You've seen the success he's had subsequently. That was a genius move from Lawerence Stroll. The money that comes with the championship win is worth whatever he's paying. He's that good," Claire Williams said on the Business of Sports podcast.

Williams was forced to sell the team to Dorilton Capital in 2020, one year after Force India experienced troubles. In the same podcast, Williams expressed her frustration and explained that COVID-19 was the "final nail in the coffin." The host asked if she believed Aston Martin could now win the World Championships with Newey.

"Yes. That drives me nuts because Lawerence was with us," she admitted, left wondering what could've been. Still, Williams is going through their own period of transition. With James Vowles at the helm, the team moved to P7 in the Constructors' Championship in 2023. The Grove-based team have spent a lot of money improving their facilities. Carlos Sainz will move from Ferrari next season to work alongside Alex Albon.