Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 driver, will make a surprise debut in the GT World Challenge Europe during the opening round at Circuit Paul Ricard next weekend.
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Stroll is seizing this opportunity by joining the Belgian team Comtoyou Racing, where he will drive an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO for the opening of the 2026 season.
He will share the No. 18 car with former Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi and his Spanish compatriot Mari Boya, a member of the Aston Martin Academy (photo above).
Already two experiences at Daytona
This will be a first in GT for the Canadian, although he already has endurance experience, notably at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He finished fifth in 2016 with Chip Ganassi Racing, then 11th in the LMP2 category in 2018 with Jackie Chan DCR Jota.
This round of the GTWCE will take place on the very weekend the Bahrain Grand Prix was initially scheduled to occur. Stroll won’t be the only familiar name on track: he will notably reunite with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, competing full-time in the discipline in 2026 with Team WRT on BMW.
It should also be noted that Max Verstappen will not participate in the NLS3 event this same weekend, although his structure is entered at Paul Ricard.
Spring break
This guest appearance marks an interesting diversification for Stroll, who is taking advantage of the break to broaden his racing experience and maintain his pace on track while exploring potential career paths for the future.
“Aston Martin Aramco F1 confirms that Lance Stroll will take part in the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup championship to be held in eight days at the Paul Ricard circuit, the team confirmed in a statement. Lance has always appreciated motorsport in its purest forms and looks forward to the opportunity presented during the spring break in Formula 1.”
That’s it for the weekend of April 11 and 12, and the following week Max Verstappen will line up at the Nürburgring in a new round of the NLS series qualifying for the 24 Hours event. It is also on the German circuit, but on the Grand Prix layout used in F1 and not on the Nordschleife, that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with McLaren as well as George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes will be on track for Pirelli as part of testing.
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