FERNANDO ALONSO added £250million onto Aston Martin's share price after his stunning Bahrain podium.
F1's oldest current driver was in supreme form on his debut for his new team and took advantage of the Aston's new-found pace.
His podium was one of the stories of the day from the opening race of the season, which Max Verstappen won at a canter.
But fans continue to be excited about Aston Martin's emergence, a feeling that appears to be shared by traders.
The brand's stock went up by 15 per cent – worth around £250m – after the car's marvellous showing in the Middle East, according to sport and business journalist Joe Pompliano.
This will be to the delight of part-owner and executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, who watched son Lance finish sixth in the other Aston Martin car despite recent injuries.
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Stroll Sr led a consortium of investors to buy the team in 2018.
Back then they were still called Force India and were struggling to properly establish themselves towards the front of the grid.
The team changed name to Racing Point in 2019 and would adopt an eye-catching pink livery.
Lawrence's son Lance would also join from Williams.
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Results would eventually pick up with the highlight coming in Bahrain in 2020 when Sergio Perez won the Sakhir Grand Prix and Stoll finished third to give the team their best ever result.
With the team rebranding as Aston Martin in 2021, results would again go backwards.
But now the outfit looks incredibly competitive with part-owner Stroll open about his ambitions to win the world championship.
Two-times world champion Alonso, 41, is still widely considered to be among the best drivers in F1.
He won the title in 2005 and 2006 with Renault before moves to McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine.
His first race in F1 was all the way back at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.
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