Formula 1: Who is buying Force India? A full rundown
By Kevin Nguyen
Lawrence Stroll
Who: Lawrence Stroll is a Canadian billionaire investor and the father of Williams Martini Racing driver Lance Stroll. The elder Stroll’s investment portfolio includes investments in high fashion lines such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. He also owns Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, which is host to several different race series and is a primary investor in the Williams team.
Likelihood of buying: Medium-high. With his son already in Formula 1 and him being a primary investor in a struggling team, it makes sense that the Canadian investor would want to expand into ownership.
Stroll, however, may encounter difficulty in his pursuit of the Silverstone-based team, as a few team principals, including Claire Williams of Williams, have rejected Force India’s attempt to clear their books to allow them to be sold in fear of creating B-teams.
Opposition by team ownership may make Stroll’s attempt more difficult.
Why: There are rumors that Stroll is buying Force India to ensure that his son will have a seat in Formula 1 regardless of his performance. However, that appears to be hearsay. Stroll is very much a fan of cars, as he owns a collection of Ferraris and the aforementioned racetrack, so perhaps he is just trying to expand his motorsport portfolio.