JULY 15, 2021

Father says Stroll on par with Vettel

Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll thinks his son is "on par" with quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel in 2021.

Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll thinks his son is "on par" with quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel in 2021.

The Silverstone based team is on an aggressive recruitment and development drive at present, with billionaire Stroll admitting the target is to get to Mercedes-like status.

"We share Mercedes' wind tunnel, but it is not as good as having your own," he said.

"As far as plans go, like pretty much every other business I own, it's to win. And that means world championships."

That title goal, in Stroll's sights for "four, five, six years" from now, also means spending big - including on the team's most expensive employee.

"Yes, he is our most expensive man," Stroll told f1-insider.com when asked about Vettel. "But he does a great job.

"He had a slow start to the season, because we had all sorts of problems with our car in testing, but now he's on the pace."

But the Montreal-born fashion mogul insists that his 22-year-old son Lance, who is Vettel's teammate, is also fully up to speed at Aston Martin.

"Lance has done an extraordinary job," Stroll said.

"He's only 22, but he's already been on pole and the podium a couple of times. He's about on par with Sebastian this year.

"So I have no worries about his performance."

(GMM)