Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
TEAM PROFILE
Starting in 1991 as the punchy underdogs Jordan, the team now known as Aston Martin has seen many team changes over the years while staying at the same Silverstone base. Run by entertaining Irishman Eddie Jordan, the team constantly over-achieved when factoring in Jordan’s budget against that of their competitor’s. The Silverstone-based team over their Jordan years have given plenty of famous names their first taste of F1, such as Michael and Ralf Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine. After being consistent midfield runners with the occasional podium, Jordan climbed further up the grid in the late 1990s, culminating in the team’s first win and 1-2 in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix with Damon Hill winning from Ralf Schumacher. 1999 saw Jordan and Heinz-Harald Frentzen come closest to winning the title – the German winning twice and being in championship contention until the penultimate race and driver and team finishing third overall. This was to be the peak for Jordan F1, as finances and on-track performances gradually declined. Giancarlo Fisichella gave the team as its current guise its final win at the rain hit 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. Jordan sold the team to the Midland Group, becoming Midland F1 for 2006, prior to Midland being sold to Spyker for the 2007 season. A team in transition, on-track results were a side point to financial survival. 2008 saw the team sold once again to Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and named Force India, – with this coming more stability. While 2008 was another rebuilding season, 2009 saw the team return to the podium again with Fisichella, shadowing Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen at Spa all the way to an impressive 2nd place finish. The team as Force India once again found the magic of Jordan F1, fighting far higher up the grid than their budget would have suggested – mostly thanks to Sergio Perez and his five podium finishes for the team as Force India. More financial issues hit the team before Lawrence Stroll purchased Force India midway through 2018, before becoming Racing Point in 2019. 2020 saw the arguably the Silverstone squad’s best season since 1999, delivering their first win since 2003 and Perez’s debut victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Under Stroll ownership, the team was rebranded to Aston Martin for 2021 and finished on the podium with Sebastian Vettel in Baku of the same year. Results eluded the squad at the start of the 2022 season but improved as the year went on, giving Lance Stroll and new-for-2023 driver Fernando Alonso hope for a return to the top step in the coming seasons.
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
DRIVER LINE-UP
Fernando Alonso
Key Data:
DOB: 29th July 1981
Nationality: Spanish
Lives in: Oxford, England
Current Team: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
Background info:
Alonso began his love for all things motorsport at the age of 5, receiving his first kart license, rising up the karting ranks before his rise to F1 began in 1999 with a test with Minardi (now AlphaTauri). An entry in 2000 in F3000 (which became GP2, now F2) followed and was coupled with a test and reserve role at Minardi. Alonso’s F1 dream got even closer during the season, signing Flavio Briatore as his manager which ensured Alonso having a closer relationship with the Benetton/Renault squad. Loaned out by the Renault team, Alonso earned his F1 debut in 2001 with backmarkers Minardi. Despite not scoring any points, Alonso’s talent was plain for all to see, often dragging the car far higher up the grid than it deserved and did earn a 10th place finish at the German Grand Prix in 2001. Alonso sat out the 2002 season, instead working ever closer with the Renault squad, learning from the more experienced Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli. Button’s move from Renault at the end of the season saw Alonso promoted alongside Trulli for 2003, a hugely successful season where he finished on the podium four times and become (at the time) F1’s youngest ever winner at the Hungarian GP. 2004 saw more consistent performances, while not winning a race, finishing on the podium another four times on his way to 59pts and 4th in the Driver’s Championship. Again with the Renault team for 2005 and 2006 saw Alonso’s driving go to another level, winning back to back titles – beating out a competitive Kimi Raikkonen at McLaren in 05 and going toe-to-toe with 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in 2006. These championships saw Alonso also hold the record of the youngest ever double-world champion – since eclipsed by Sebastian Vettel and then Max Verstappen. Alonso moved across to McLaren in 2007, finishing third in the championship in a close and controversial season – equal on points with rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton and just a single point behind winner Raikkonen. Alonso returned to Renault for the 2008/09 seasons with moderate success in a less competitive car, winning two races during this time. Departing the Renault team for a second time, Alonso signed a bumper contract with Ferrari between 2010-14 and came agonisingly close to the Championship in both 2010 and 2012 – both titles coming down to the final race and finishing 4pts and 3pts behind Sebastian Vettel. Alonso moved back to the McLaren team for 2015, hoping for success with Honda engines. Unfortunately for Alonso and McLaren, the Honda partnership was unable to replicate the success of the 1980s, with no podiums and plenty of frustration for four seasons. In this time Alonso began to trial other series in his bid for motorsports “Triple Crown” (winning Monaco F1, Indy 500, Le Mans 24hrs). Alonso came close to winning the 2017 Indy 500 and was successful in winning Le Mans in 2019 after stepping away from F1 completely. Never fully closing the door on an F1 return following his departure from McLaren, Alonso returned to Renault (now Alpine) for a third time in 2021. Alonso returned to the F1 podium at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, finishing third in his Alpine and stayed with the team for the 2022 season. Littered with impressive performances but poor luck, the highlights being a front row start in Canada and three 5th place finishes. At the age of 41, Alonso was signed by the Aston Martin F1 team on a multi-year deal, meaning he will almost certainly reach an incredible 400 F1 races before the end of the 2024 season.
Lance Stroll
Key Data:
DOB: 29th October 1998
Nationality: Canadian
Lives in: Montreal, Canada
Current Team: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
Background info:
Son of Canadian billionaire Lawrence, Lance Stroll’s rise to F1 began in 2010 joining the Ferrari Driver Academy after a successful junior karting career. While his time as a Ferrari junior spanned just two years, this time included championship victories in Italian F4 and the Toyota Racing Series. The 2016 season coincided with Stroll and Ferrari cutting ties and Stroll winning the European F3 series championship. Skipping the second tiered GP2 completely, Stroll jumped straight into F1 with Williams in 2017. Alongside veteran Felipe Massa, Stroll showed his promise throughout the season, notably finishing 3rd at the 2016 Azerbaijan Grand Prix; only losing 2nd place at the chequered flag being out dragged by Valtteri Bottas at the line. This result saw Stroll become the youngest rookie in F1 history to finish on the podium. Further points finishes and a front-row start in Monza saw Stroll finish the season on 40pts and 12th in the Driver’s Championship in a respectable rookie campaign. A gradually uncompetitive Williams meant 2018 was a tougher season, highlighted again by points in Baku. With Lawrence Stroll purchasing the Force India team and the subsequent rebrand, Stroll moved across to the newly formed Racing Point (now Aston Martin) in 2019 and has been there ever since. Stroll was beaten by Sergio Perez in 2019, finishing 4th in the incident-riddled German Grand Prix as a season highlight. The pandemic interrupted 2020 season saw Stroll’s most successful season in F1 to date, scoring 75pts and finishing 11th in the championship – all bar one race finished in the points. Stroll finished on the podium twice in 2020 season at the Italian and Sakhir Grands Prix, the latter being a double podium for the Racing Point team thanks to Sergio Perez’s victory. Racing Point was renamed Aston Martin in 2021, with Stroll retained again and paired with four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. A semi-competitive midfield car, Stroll did not reach the highs of 2020, finishing in the points nine times in 2021 and eight times in 2022; taking two 6th places. The 2023 season and Vettel’s retirement from F1 sees Stroll teamed up with another multiple World Champion in Fernando Alonso.
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My husband and I had a wonderful experience with The Grand Prix Tours. The accommodation was amazing, communication with this company was brilliant when I had a few questions and the seating for the actual Grand Prix qualifying and race day was perfect, as we got to see all the overtaking on the corner. I would highly recommend this company and look forward to using them again in the future!!
Myself and my son became Grand Prix Grand Tourists for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa…. GPGT took care of everything, flight were perfect, airport transfers ran smoothly, hotel in Brussels was stunning and comfortable, seats in the gold 4 grandstand were beyond anything we could have expected,transfers from hotel to race were good fun and interesting especially trying to exit the carpark at the end of both days!! But hey, it was expected…Stefan our guide and the drivers were really friendly and looked after us well.Please thank Jamie at your office, he was brilliant, kept us informed on every item….I would recommend you guys 100% to anyone thinking of using your services
Thank you GPGT for organising the trip to Spa for me. My husband and son had the most amazing time.My specific wishes of where they wanted to sit at the circuit were fulfilled perfectly. The organisation, communication and clear instructions by GPGT from start to finish has been first class, well done everyone.I look forward to using this company again and would recommend their services over and over again. Easily 5 ⭐️
We had a fantastic time at the Hingarian Grand Prix. Everything was organised for us. In particular, the communication from booking to race day was excellent. We look forward to travelling with GPGT again.
Just got back from the Hungarian Grand Prix. I booked this as a surprise for my partner’s birthday and GPGT were great from the start. I wouldn’t have known where to start arranging this myself but everything was organised, communication great and everything happened exactly as they said it would! hotel was nice, all transfer pick ups were on time and seats at the Grand Prix were great! I booked the flights separately myself but was really pleased when GPGT still sorted airport transfers for us. They made it a simple, stress free and very enjoyable weekend!
Freshly back from a superb trip to the Spanish Grand Prix - what a weekend and experience! All arrangements from point of booking, pre-travel, and the weekend itself, were seamless and very well coordinated.Our grand stand seats were spectacular, in front of the starting grid and pits, with brilliant views of all the action.We’re already planning which race to book for next year. Thanks to everyone on the GPGT team for making it a very easy and unforgettable experience 🙂
So pleased to have chosen GPT for F1 Monaco - they were really responsive to all emails and phone calls. The advice for hotel in Nice walking distance to the rail station was really perfect (23 minutes to central Monaco). Hotel was great choice for this weekend as we were only there to sleep and it was comfortable clean with helpful staff. Transfers from airport to hotel and return were very efficient and professional - they anticipated late arrival and departure so were ready and waiting to take us both ways in high quality vehicles. Our seats were in one of the main grandstands (K 4) with great views of the track and harbour with a huge screen opposite to see all the action around the track. It was a big decision choosing the company to supply the Grand Prix experience, I read many reviews and GPT stood out, very happy to have chosen them.
We chose GPGT for our 1st F1 experience and we were not disappointed. Bahrain was an incredible experience everything went like clockwork. Well done to the team at GPGT’s we are very much looking forward to our next event.
Having never done a package for a GP I wasn’t sure what to expect. I need not have worried. From the start the communication was excellent with clear instructions regarding flights, transfers and hotel.The airport transfers were easy and the driver was professional and attentive and the hotel was out of this world. The circuit transfers were easy and informative with a local guide who gave us information on local areas of historic importance and local facts and recommendations for nice places to eat.I would recommend this company to anyone who is looking to attend a GP abroad. You won’t be disappointed.
From the moment we booked our Monaco GP tour until the end of the trip, we had nothing but a brilliant experience with this company. Our initial trip was postponed due to Covid and Simon and Jay were always at the end of the phone to answer any questions and reassure us. As for the trip itself, everything was well thought out - from the flight and transfers to the hotel in Nice (clean, comfortable and an easy walk to the train station so we could easily get to Monaco and back). We upgraded our tickets for the Grand Prix after chatting to Simon about the kind of view we wanted and they were superb - right in the middle of the action. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that we will never forget and we can’t wait to book our next F1 tour with the company . Thanks all
Like to say a massive thanks to John and the team for a totally hassle free Monaco F1 weekend.Start to finish they are totally professional, quick to respond to emails, and providing all the relevant information required before flying out!The trip itself went without any issues, accommodation chosen in Nice, with its roof top bar, was a perfect way to relax after full day trying to pack everything in, and only a 10-15 minutes walk to/from the station.Our chosen seats which gave access to the mooring pontoons of the big super Yacht’s, with live music that filled the gaps between races. We also got to see plenty of action, (Ricardo’s & Schumacher’s crashes, plus others over the weekend), you could also at a distance see some of the pit activity and even the podium presentations, (depending on the seats we had each day). It had the big screen central to our stand (P), so you didn’t miss any action.Thanks again for a totally awesome F1 experience.Regards Dave
Delighted with the whole experience. The hotel was superb in every way, the seats at the Barcelona Grand Prix were exceptional. Will definitely book with you again and recommend friends to do the same.We were kept informed through the weekend with various tel numbers should we run into difficulties during our stay which we didn’t.Anyone can book with you very confidently!
Monaco Historic GP 2022 with Grand Prix Grand Tours.These guys are top notch. You get exactly what is in the package, airport transfers, flights, hotel, Grandstand Tickets (great seats).I can not speak highly enough of the organisational skills these guys have.Thank you
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