Lance Stroll sought Max Verstappen's advice before surprise GT3 debut

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll will make his GT3 racing debut this weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard, revealing he consulted with Max Verstappen before making the decision. Stroll also cited his Formula 1 team's current competitive struggles as a motivating factor to seek a different challenge during the sport's April break.

Why it matters:

For an active F1 driver, especially one from a manufacturer-backed team, to race in another series is relatively rare and highlights a driver's personal drive to compete. Stroll's move, influenced by a rival champion's advice, underscores the close-knit racing community and a driver's proactive approach to managing the mental challenges of a difficult F1 season.

The details:

• Stroll will drive the #18 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe, a six-hour night race starting Saturday.
• He confirmed direct conversations with Max Verstappen, who is heavily involved in GT racing with his own team. "We talked about whom to contact, and since he’s already involved in GT racing, we discussed it a bit," Stroll said.
• The Canadian driver links the decision directly to Aston Martin's poor start to the 2026 F1 season, where the team is last in the standings and he has yet to finish a Grand Prix. He called it "an idea to change things up a bit — a different mindset during the break."
• Stroll has prior sports car experience, having raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2016 and 2018, an event he says he "truly loved."
• His teammates for the event will be former Marussia F1 driver Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya.

What's next:

Stroll's immediate focus shifts to the endurance race at Paul Ricard, a stark contrast to his usual F1 weekend. His performance and experience could provide a fresh perspective when the F1 season resumes in Miami at the start of May. The outing also serves as a public test for Aston Martin's GT3 customer machinery, with all eyes on how their factory F1 driver adapts to the different discipline.