Formula 1
Lance Stroll: Aston Martin F1 struggles a factor in surprise GT outing
Stroll is embracing a rare GT outing with Aston Martin in France, where “winning is possible”
Rachit Thukral
Edited: Apr 9, 2026, 8:40 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Lance Stroll says Aston Martin’s ongoing woes in Formula 1 played a role in his decision to enter this weekend’s GT World Challenge Europe event at Paul Ricard.
The Canadian will take advantage of an unexpected gap on the F1 calendar to contest the opening GTWCE Endurance Cup event of 2026, driving Comtoyou Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya. It will mark just his third major sportscar outing, following two previous appearances at the Daytona 24 Hours in prototype machinery in the mid-to-late 2010s.
Stroll’s Aston Martin team has struggled for both performance and reliability at the start of F1’s new era this year, despite significant investment in infrastructure and the high-profile signing of Adrian Newey. Its works partnership with Honda has also been strained by an uncompetitive power unit that suffers heavily from vibrations.
Across the opening three rounds, Stroll is yet to register a classified finish, while his team-mate Fernando Alonso has also not scored a point.
Amid a five-week break following the cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi rounds, Stroll said he wanted to “change things up a bit” and enjoy a more relaxed weekend in France.
“I really enjoyed racing the 24 Hours of Daytona. It’s a race I truly loved,” he said on Thursday.
“Since then, I’ve been very focused on Formula 1, but this year we don’t have a very competitive car, and we now have some time without races.
“So, it was an idea to change things up a bit — a different mindset during the break.
“Jean-Michel [Baert, Comtoyou team owner] was very accommodating, and we organised everything in about a week.
“So, a big thank you to Jean-Michel. That’s why I’m here racing this weekend.”
Gilles Magnus, Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
The Comtoyou Aston is registered in the Pro class, which features 18 entries as part of a larger 59-car grid.
Stroll believes sportscar racing offers a more open competitive landscape, giving him and his team a realistic shot at victory if “everything comes together”.
Asked what his goal was for the weekend, Stroll said: “Enjoyment — and it’s also a race.
“In Formula 1, you don’t always have the opportunity to win. Here, it’s very competitive, but even if it’s our first time and we lack experience, if everything comes together — good setup, good feeling — winning is possible. That doesn’t really exist in Formula 1. That’s also a big motivation for me to be here.”
The idea of racing at Paul Ricard was conceived over the Japanese GP on 27-29 March, where Stroll met some of his friends, including ex-grand prix driver Merhi, over dinner.
There has been renewed interest among F1 drivers in sportscar racing, with Max Verstappen in particular generating headlines for his recent endeavours at the Nordschleife-based NLS series.
Stroll revealed he spoke to Verstappen about his GT plans during the Suzuka weekend.
“We talked about whom to contact, and since he’s already involved in GT racing, we discussed it a bit. Everyone enjoys driving GT3 cars — they’re fun,” he said.
Asked whether he would be open to further outings in this discipline, Stroll added: “If I feel good physically and mentally, yes — I’d like to do more races during the year.”
Read Also:
Formula 1Why Aston Martin has no need to “make peace” with Honda
Formula 1Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso resort to "Aston Martin championship" battle in Japan
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Finally F1 cars don’t need to be faster to overtake – Isack Hadjar
Next article Martin Brundle delivers blunt verdict on Max Verstappen retirement threats
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rachit Thukral
Pedro Acosta fast but “feeling terrible” in Malaysian GP practice
MotoGP
MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
Pedro Acosta fast but “feeling terrible” in Malaysian GP practice
Fabio Quartararo 19th and angry: “I’ve not struggled so much at Sepang in a long time”
MotoGP
MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
Fabio Quartararo 19th and angry: “I’ve not struggled so much at Sepang in a long time”
More from
Lance Stroll
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
Lance Stroll: Honda F1 engine makes Aston Martin slower by two seconds a lap
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Lance Stroll: Honda F1 engine makes Aston Martin slower by two seconds a lap
More from
Aston Martin Racing
Why F1's new regulations make the Mexican GP an even bigger challenge
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
4 h
Why F1's new regulations make the Mexican GP an even bigger challenge
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Latest news
Sergio Perez praises Colton Herta impact - but has no say over 2027 Cadillac F1 team-mate choice
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 min
Sergio Perez praises Colton Herta impact - but has no say over 2027 Cadillac F1 team-mate choice
Why “ignorance is a superpower” for Kimi Antonelli, according to Daniel Ricciardo
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
Why “ignorance is a superpower” for Kimi Antonelli, according to Daniel Ricciardo
What Kyle Larson needs to do to clinch NASCAR Cup title early at Martinsville
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Martinsville II
1 h
What Kyle Larson needs to do to clinch NASCAR Cup title early at Martinsville
Pedro Acosta fast but “feeling terrible” in Malaysian GP practice
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
Pedro Acosta fast but “feeling terrible” in Malaysian GP practice
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe