Lance Stroll details Max Verstappen conversation over sudden GT opportunity

Lance Stroll has revealed that he turned to four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen for guidance before deciding to make an unexpected entry into the GT World Challenge Europe at Paul Ricard this weekend.

The Aston Martin racer secured a last-minute spot on the grid for the season opener, partnering with former F1 driver Roberto Merhi and Aston Martin Academy talent Mari Boya in Comtoyou Racing's additional Vantage GT3 Evo.

With F1's calendar creating an opening due to the cancelled Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds, and the consequences of the Middle East conflict, Stroll jumped at the chance for his first GT3 racing experience.

The Canadian disclosed his conversation with Verstappen about the venture, with the Red Bull star having been actively competing in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie as preparation for his planned Nürburgring 24 Hours tilt in May.

"We had a quick chat in Suzuka when the concept first occurred to me," Stroll responded when questioned about his discussion with the Dutch driver.

"We covered contacts and connections, and given his GT racing involvement, we touched on it briefly. GT3 cars are genuinely enjoyable for everyone; they're fantastic to drive."

The motivations

Stroll's Paul Ricard adventure originated from a dinner conversation with Merhi during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

"We were considering how to spend this break period, roughly a month, given the race cancellations," the 27-year-old added.

"The concept of doing a GT race together emerged. Roberto and I have a long history. Though we never raced as teammates, we shared engineering staff and industry connections."

Stroll also conceded that the temporary shift to sports car competition was partially driven by Aston Martin's current F1 performance struggles.

"My concentration has been entirely on Formula 1, but this season our machinery lacks competitiveness, and we now have this racing hiatus," he explained. "It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something different, adopt an alternative perspective during the break."

Stroll expressed appreciation for Comtoyou team principal Jean-Michel Baert, who made the rapid arrangement possible.

"Jean-Michel showed incredible flexibility in accommodating us, and we pulled everything together within roughly a week, so enormous gratitude goes to Jean-Michel; that's the reason I'm competing this weekend," the three-time F1 podium finisher said.

Regarding future sports car appearances, Stroll shared that he would be open to further outings in the future, stating: "Provided I'm feeling strong both physically and mentally, absolutely, I'd welcome additional race opportunities throughout the year."

Stroll gained valuable track time with the Vantage during Wednesday's GTWC Europe Prologue session at Paul Ricard, where he spoke to media. His entry concluded the afternoon running in 26th position.