Saudi oil company Aramco is promoting the Aston Martin brand driven by Fernando Alonso in the F1 World Cup. An investment of 647 million euros. And a car that was amazing in pre-season tests. Dealers in Madrid sell cars from this high-end company for more than 200,000 euros. Right now, the middle class is asking the Asturian pilot for caps and shirts. The number 33, the victory that Alonso is chasing, is in fashion.
When Alonso and Aston Martin made their relationship official from this season on August 1, 2022, the British team occupied the ninth position in the F1 constructor classification.
A surprise announcement, after the withdrawal of German Sebastian Vettel, which caused gains of 400,000 euros in social brand value -return derived from the impact of publications on social networks- for Aston Martin, according to the company specialized in this type of measurement, MVP.
seven months later, Aston Martin has become one of the teams to consider for the 2023 season which starts in Bahrain. A circuit where during tests, according to data from F1 itself, 2.371 seconds faster than the same scenario last year.
A development that Alonso himself, after acknowledging that it was only preseason, was contemplated in a public appearance.
“On the last day, in our race simulation, we were slightly faster than Ferrari“, assured the Asturian driver, two-time F1 world champion in 2005 and 2006. And the Italians were second in the constructors’ world championship last season.
LAWRENCE STROLL AND SAUDI CAPITAL
These are the first green shoots of a project that was born in 2018 when the F1 Force India team went bankrupt. mid season Canadian tycoon Lawrence Stroll bought the team, paid off his debt, installed his son Lance as driver and began laying the foundation for what the team is today.
The decisive step was the acquisition of 18.3% of the Aston Martin car brand.
He also took advantage of the moment of difficulty that the British company was going through and repeated the operation; also making sure they allowed him to put the Aston Martin name on the extinct Force India which at the time was called Racing Point.
An operation that increased Aston Martin by 25% on the stock market.
Lawrence Stroll, a reference character in the F1 ‘paddock’, amassed his wealth through various investments in luxury clothing brands and car enthusiasts.
In his garage sleeps the Ferrari 250 GT0, the most expensive car in the world, of which there are limited units, after being auctioned for 45.3 million euros in 2021. And these are Stroll’s assets, according to Forbes, 2,944 million euros.
For this reason, he made his passion his good investment. In a project where it is not possible to attract Fernando Alonso without Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Aston Martin.
The main sponsor of the British brand is the Saudi oil company Aramco, which also sponsors F1. An association that went from being a mere sponsorship to being involved, through investment, in the brand’s ambitious project.
“The partnership reflects Aramco’s commitment to the vision, determination and ability of Aston Martin’s management and competition team to drive continued development and achieve success in F1,” said Talal Al-Marri, director, at EFE. general public affairs for Aramco.
Government-run company Saudi Arabia, the country where the Public Investment Fund (PIF), managed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, buy 16.7% of Aston Martin in July 2022 in addition to providing a capital injection of 647 million euros, according to specialized media. Movement that had, once again, a good effect on the stock market, because the shares of the British brand rose by 20%.
Thus, the Saudi country is the second largest shareholder of an Aston Martin that has changed its paradigm and is increasingly integrating more brands.
His car is full of sponsorships in an F1 that keeps trading. In addition to its two main partners, they have 24 other brands that want to work with Aston Martin. A bank, a crane company, sunglasses, insurance, social networks… the project arouses interest.
BETTER FACILITIES, BETTER OBJECTIVES
However, success does not only come through financial investment. Therefore, Lawrence Stroll’s ambitious goal to “win” goes through the team’s new facilities. From Northamptonshire to Silverstone -the nerve center of F1-, with 35,000 square meters of surface area 26 kilometers away in the United Kingdom.
New factory, new wind tunnel – they currently use Mercedes and this is an important element to analyze the improvements of the car before taking them to the track- and state-of-the-art facilities -hand in hand with its ‘title partner’ Cognizant, a technology company-.
Operational since mid-2023, Aston Martin has invested about $225 million in it, according to the planned plan announced by the team.
The plan -“The mission”, as this phase of Fernando Alonso is known in social networks- is to win in the medium termalthough what was seen in the Bahrain tests made “33” or “How what 33?” a worldwide trend, in reference to the number of victories Alonso would have if he won again.
THE ALONSO FAN PHENOMENON
According to Google Trends, a tool designed to capture user search patterns, “33” reached a peak of 96 out of 100 on the first day of the preseason with Fernando Alonso finishing second. A maximum surpassed “How what 33?”, with 100 out of 100 a day later.
On Twitter, trending is the same during and after exams. And that the number 33 appearing on the F1 world champion trophy shared by the official account of the tournament itself is the final impulse for fans hoping to remember the past, and better times.
An interest that transcends the virtual world. In one of the main dealerships of the brand in Madrid, the one that supplied him with one of the cars that the Spanish driver awarded him for his signing, they noticed the impulse caused by the figure of Fernando Alonso.
“I noticed a lot of people coming in asking about merchandising, I get five or six calls a day… people recognize us more. Also this ‘merchandising’ is to give away to customers who will buy cars”, they assured EFE from the Tayre dealership.
Some brand products ranging from shirts with the number ’14’ and the surname Alonso as if it was a footballer, to caps, coats, sweatshirts… From Lance Stroll, his partner, but the Asturian is the claim that appears when you insert the team website.
Of course, with the sale of cars, which widely exceed 200,000 euros, the effect will start to take shape when the competition starts this weekend.
“It’s still early. Yes, I think it will spark more interest from people and that potential buyers of this type of car will recognize us and put us more on the radar, but it’s still early. I think if the result is good and the podiums come, you will notice it in sales”, points out from the dealer in Madrid.
Some results will start counting from this weekend, but the bases are set. A visible face like Fernando Alonso increasing the value of the brand, signings of elite engineers from Red Bull -Dan Fallows- and Mercedes -Eric Blandin-, new facilities and different sources of income. The mission is taking shape.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
