Last week, UK motorsport weekly Autosport reported that Williams Martini Racing driver Lance Stroll has been contemplating a move away from the Grove-based outfit and into a more competitive seat for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

Sources suggest that Force India is at the top of the 19-year old Canadian, especially after the Silverstone-based racing team’s financial woes have started to come to light recently. Now, it emerges that Stroll’s father, billionaire fashion financier Lawrence Stroll, was at the forefront of a takeover of the Force India team – and that after owner Vijay Mallya denied his team was for sale.

In any event, a cash boost by the Stroll family could solidify the relationship Force India has with its high-level suppliers, particularly Mercedes-Benz, whose engines have been found in Force India’s cars for ten seasons now.

Force India’s had reasonable success in the F1 midfield over the past 11 years, being one of the stronger teams behind the big three of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Last year, it managed to finish 4th on the Constructors Championship. The prospect of his son Lance doing much better that he is currently faring with Williams, and the opportunity to own an entire team, has been said to have been irresistible for Stroll senior.