LANCE STROLL has christened Aston Martin’s new £200million factory by blasting his F1 car through the building.
The brand new 400,000 sq ft facility has been opened in Silverstone, just across the road from the famous F1 track that will host this week’s British Grand Prix.
Stroll, who races for Aston Martin alongside Fernando Alonso, was given the task of providing the unofficial opening – by driving through the new offices.
He said: “It was unbelievable to drive our Formula One car through the new factory.
“At first, it felt pretty sketchy – slick tyres and concrete floors don’t really mix –but as soon as I got going I felt like I could give it more speed.
“Getting to see everyone’s faces enjoying watching was really cool for me, especially as most of the amazing people who work here don’t often get to see the car run.
“It was the only proper way to break in the new factory!”
Stroll also drove his F1 car out of the building and along the perimeter road – but resisted the temptation to break the speed limit.
Team Principal Mike Krack added: “At first, we weren’t sure if it would be possible to run the car along the street.
“But the engineers did their sums and said we could do it safely.
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“Until I actually saw Lance climb into the car, I didn’t really believe it – but then he lit it up, burnt some rubber and put a smile on the face of every single team member.
“It was the perfect way to open our new Technology Campus and a great way to send everyone into the British Grand Prix weekend feeling super-positive ahead of our home race.”