In great financial difficulty since the Covid Crisis, and even before, Aston Martin (at the scale of the automobile brand) has found new resources today.
The company of which Lawrence Stroll is the co-owner, did not look far to find its new shareholder: it is the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
This sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, already owns Aramco, title sponsor of the Aston Martin F1 team and partner of F1. The Saudi Fund had also taken shares last year in the McLaren Group. It also has a large number of stakes in companies such as Boeing, Total, Disney, etc.
653 million pounds will be raised in total. Mercedes-Benz will also participate in part in the operation.
But it is indeed the investors of the Wahhabi kingdom who will have the most new shares, with in their possession 17% of shares now of the total capital of Aston Martin. This is only 1.3% less than the total shares of Lawrence Stroll’s consortium (Mercedes also owns 9.7%).
Thus, the shares of Lawrence Stroll in Aston Martin are diluted: should we see a sign of disengagement in the project of the Canadian, while the F1 team is experiencing catastrophic results this year? And if Saudi Arabia offered an F1 team soon? This is still speculative…
Lawrence Stroll, however, confirmed his long-term commitment to the brand, including with the F1 team.
“Overall, this is game-changing news for Aston Martin, supporting the delivery of our strategic plans and accelerating our long-term growth potential. »
“It transforms our balance sheet, liquidity and cash flow profile and clarifies our plan to become sustainably free cash flow positive and create meaningful shareholder value. »
“With the new management team in place, led by Amedeo Felisa, we have the right team and the right strategy to fully realize the long-term potential of Aston Martin. »
“Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team also marked the start of a new era for our iconic British marque. »
“Our focus on building brand value and unlocking Aston Martin’s potential is already driving increasing demand from a new generation of customers, with more than 60% of new customers the brand in 2021.”