Woody Johnson, 79, owner of the New York Jets since 2000, has acquired a minority stake in Aston Martin Formula One and joined the team's board of directors. The size of the stake was not disclosed. Lawrence Stroll remains principal owner and executive chairman.
Johnson—heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, net worth estimated north of $3.5 billion—becomes the latest NFL owner to cross into Formula One. His Jets purchase cost $635 million two decades ago; the franchise is now valued near $6.9 billion. The Aston Martin deal marks his first motor racing investment. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Trump, a tenure that ended in 2021.
The timing matters. Formula One's U.S. expansion continues to pull American capital. Las Vegas joined the calendar in 2023; Miami in 2022; Austin has run since 2012. The sport's enterprise value has more than doubled since Liberty Media's $4.4 billion takeover in 2017. Aston Martin itself raised $234 million in a 2023 capital injection from a Saudi sovereign wealth vehicle, valuing the team around $1.4 billion at the time. Johnson's entry suggests minority slices are trading at a premium to that mark—Vegas boosted paddock valuations by creating a third domestic race weekend, tripling U.S. media impressions and opening sponsor categories previously locked to European brands.
Aston Martin finished fifth in the 2024 Constructors' Championship, down from fifth in 2023 but well off its 2022 debut season under Stroll's ownership, when the team ran fourth. The squad employs 950 people across its Silverstone factory. Fernando Alonso, 43, remains under contract through 2026; Lance Stroll, Lawrence's son, signed a multiyear extension last season. The team has not won a race since its prior incarnation as Racing Point took Bahrain 2020 with Sergio Pérez.
Johnson's board seat puts him alongside Stroll and Aston Martin Lagonda CEO Adrian Hallmark, who arrived in September 2024 from Bentley. The automaker itself—owned by Lawrence Stroll's Yew Tree consortium—holds naming rights through 2030 and uses the F1 operation as its halo engineering platform. The team's title sponsor, Aramco, pays an estimated $60 million annually under a deal running through 2028. Cognizant and Airbus Atlantic also hold top-tier patches. Johnson's NFL relationships could open U.S. hospitality packages; Jets sponsors include Pepsi, Verizon, and MetLife, none of which currently appear in F1.
The move also positions Johnson inside the sport's governance structure as F1 negotiates its next Concorde Agreement, the revenue-sharing pact expiring after 2025. Teams are pushing for a larger slice of commercial income—currently capped at 63.5% of total revenue—and Johnson's presence adds another American voice in those talks. Red Bull and Ferrari have historically led team negotiations; Aston Martin's influence has grown with Stroll's capital injections and Honda's 2026 power unit deal, which brings factory backing starting next season.
Watch for Johnson's first paddock appearance, likely Monaco in late May or the Miami Grand Prix on May 3-5, where NFL owners typically cluster. Aston Martin's 2026 car launches in mid-February; the team has not yet named a technical director following Dan Fallows' reduced role last autumn. Honda's integration timeline will dictate whether the squad can challenge McLaren and Ferrari for podiums. Johnson's board participation begins immediately, per team statement issued Friday.
The Jets posted 4-13 in 2024, their ninth consecutive losing season. Johnson has cycled through seven head coaches since buying the franchise. His Aston Martin stake offers exposure to a team that finished fifth but spends like it wants third—and now has an owner who knows what patient capital looks like when the winning doesn't come quickly.
The takeaway
Johnson's F1 entry follows NFL owner pattern into paddock minority stakes as Vegas multiplier effect drives American franchise valuations.
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