Busting myths about a rich F1 hopeful
Lance Stroll's family backing is well known. But, MARCUS SIMMONS says, don't knock the new Williams development driver because of his wealth
Lance Stroll is a very fortunate young man. Seventeen years old, recently announced as a Williams Formula 1 development driver, and about to start his second season with Prema Powerteam in the Formula 3 European Championship.
He's also very wealthy, but that's just an extension of the way of the racing world is at the moment. Costs in junior single-seaters are so high, and outside support so low in the current economic climate, that these strata are the preserve mainly of those with healthy private financial backing.
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Marcus Simmons is the Deputy Editor of Autosport magazine. As a child he was a regular on the chalk banks of Thruxton – hence his unhealthy obsession with 1970s Formula 2 and F3 – before he became an MSA timekeeper at the age of 17. At 19, his reporting debut for Motoring News arguably overshadowed Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal as the sporting moment of June 1986, and he joined the staff in 1990 after graduating from his degree course in Plymouth. A parallel Formula First career – which was as incident-packed as his childhood exploits in show-jumping and hunter trials – finished when he wrote off his car and put himself in hospital in 1991.
Marcus moved to Autosport in the summer of 1996. Since then he has had two stints as a freelancer and a brief spell as editor of Motor Sport magazine, during which the revered green cover was revived, before he rejoined Autosport in 2008. He lives in Teddington with his wife (who, gratifyingly, grew up within earshot of Castle Combe), daughter, stepson, dog, cat and guitars, and additionally has an adult daughter and stepson.
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