Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll will use a gap in the F1 calendar to take part in his first GT race.
The Canadian racer is listed for the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe at Paul Ricard on April 11-12. He will pilot an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for Comtoyou Racing, sharing driving duties with ex-Manor F1 driver Roberto Merhi and Formula 3 winner Mari Boya.
Stroll, 27, has some experience in sports car racing, having competed in two Daytona 24 Hours events in the mid-2010s before focusing on his Formula 1 career with Williams and later Aston Martin.
Unlike Daytona, where he raced in prototype cars, this will be his first outing in a production-based GT vehicle. His Daytona debut came in a Ford-powered Riley DP in 2016, before moving to Jackie Chan DC Racing’s Oreca 07.
The GT World Challenge Europe, run by Stephane Ratel’s SRO organisation, is one of the premier sports car championships worldwide. The series includes both endurance and sprint events, divided into the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup. The Paul Ricard opener will be an endurance race, with a single six-hour event scheduled on Saturday, April 4.
Stroll’s move into GT racing follows a growing trend of F1 drivers exploring sports cars. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, for example, has participated in several endurance events over the past year, including a Nurburgring-based NLS round that was rescheduled to accommodate him. Verstappen is also set to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours for the first time this season.
