Lance Stroll encouraged by maiden GT3 race despite troubled run at Paul Ricard

Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll says he was “encouraged” by his performance on his GT3 debut, even if his “race was basically over” by the time he took over the wheel.

With F1’s Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled due to the Iran War, Stroll headed to Paul Ricard in the south of France last weekend to contest the opening round of GT World Challenge Europe.

Sharing an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with former grand prix driver Roberto Merhi and Aston Martin junior Mari Boya, Stroll ended up 48th among 49 classified finishers — after Comtoyou Racing retired the car with 15 minutes remaining due to a gear selection issue.

The #18 Aston Martin qualified 15th on the grid for the six-hour fixture, but Boya — who took the start — had already dropped outside the top 30 in the early stages of the race.

A string of penalties, including a stop-and-go for a collision with the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, left the Pro class-entered Aston completely out of contention by the time Stroll took over the car in the last two hours of the race.

Despite having limited experience in night-time conditions due to a technical problem in practice, the 27-year-old recorded the third-best average stint in that phase of the race and set the eight-fastest overall lap.

But it wasn’t a perfect stint for the Canadian, who picked up a penalty for a track limits violation. He was running outside the top 40 when he was instructed to bring the car to the pits to retire. 

It marked a bittersweet end to the race for Comtoyou and Aston Martin, with the sister car of Mattia Drudi, Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim scoring the overall win.

But despite the lack of results, Stroll said he took consolation from the speed he was able to showcase in the final part of the race.

“I enjoyed my debut in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and even with limited preparation I felt good in the car and the pace was very encouraging,” he said.

“I was one of the fastest during my stint and every lap, I was getting more comfortable with the car and improving my lap times. 

“Of course, the race was basically over when I started my stint due to several issues we’d had, but nevertheless it was great to drive, run in the race conditions at night, and gain experience in a highly competitive championship.

“I’d like to thank the team for bringing the opportunity together really quickly and for giving us a fast car to drive. It was great fun!”

Stroll also reiterated his desire to take part in more sportscar races, but stopped short of confirming his exact plans for the future.

“I had a lot of fun and I look forward to doing more GT racing soon,” he said.

“Let’s see when the calendar allows, but I look forward to driving the Vantage GT3 again soon.”

Stroll is not the only active F1 driver to race in GT cars this year, with four-time champion Max Verstappen adding the Nurburgring 24 Hours and at least two other races at the Nordschleife to his 2026 schedule.

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— The Motorsport.com Team