Lance Stroll confirmed he had spoken with Max Verstappen before embarking on his GT3 debut this weekend, a decision that is part of both a sporting… and strategic logic.
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The Canadian driver took the wheel of an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo at the Circuit Paul Ricard, for the opening round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe this weekend at Le Castellet.
He shared the car with Spaniards Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya within the Belgian team Comtoyou Racing, which represents the brand in this competition.
Need for a change of scenery
Before committing, Stroll relied on the experience of Verstappen, who is already involved in GT: “We discussed the contacts and his experience. GT3s are cars that everyone loves to drive, they are fun,” he explained.
Beyond the discovery aspect, this choice is also indicative of his current situation in Formula 1. Competing with Aston Martin, Stroll is going through a difficult start to the 2026 season, without a single finish and with an uncompetitive AMR26 car. The team currently occupies last place in the constructors’ championship.
In this context, this move to GT appears as a breath of fresh air: “A way to change things up a bit, to approach things with a different mindset during the break,” he admitted.
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A very accommodating boss
This move is not isolated. It is part of a broader trend where several F1 drivers — starting with Verstappen — are exploring parallel programs in endurance or GT. Moreover, the Dutchman himself is set to participate in the qualifying for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring soon.
For Stroll, who has already raced the 24 Hours of Daytona in the past, this return to endurance is therefore not a first, but rather a strategic reminder: diversifying his experience in a context where his future in F1, at least in the short term, is limited by the competitiveness of his car.
“So the idea was to change things up a bit, to have a different mindset during this break, says Lance. Jean-Michel Baert, boss of the Comtoyou team, was very accommodating, and we organized everything in about a week. So a big thank you to Jean-Michel. That’s why I’m here this weekend.”
After several race penalties for the three drivers (blue flags, track limits), the Aston Martin dropped down the rankings from its fifteenth place on the grid and was unable to finish the event in a meaningful position, but the main point was elsewhere since the team’s lead car won the overall classification.
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