Aston Martin issues pointed statement after Lance Stroll GT3 announcement
Lance Stroll walks away from his Aston Martin during the Chinese GP.
Aston Martin says Lance Stroll has “always enjoyed pure racing in all its forms” after the Canadian announced that he will make his GT3 debut next weekend.
It comes in light of criticism among drivers, led by Red Bull driver and four-time world champion Max Verstappen, that the new regulations for the F1 2026 season are too artificial.
Aston Martin confirms Lance Stroll GT3 debut at Paul Ricard
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Formula 1’s technical regulations were overhauled ahead of the new season with the sport embracing 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.
The changes have been met with a lukewarm response among drivers and spectators, with Verstappen memorably likening the new-look F1 to “Formula E on steroids” during pre-season testing in February.
Verstappen admitted at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix that he is considering his future in F1, with the Dutchman participating in an NLS race at the Nordschleife last month ahead of his participation in the Nurburgring 24 hours in May.
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The Red Bull driver was back behind the wheel of his Mercedes-AMG GT3 car at the Nurburgring earlier this week with Stroll also in attendance at the German circuit.
It was subsequently revealed that Stroll will compete in the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at Paul Ricard on April 11 after his name appeared on the event’s entry list.
Stroll will share an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 with former Manor F1 driver Roberto Merhi and Aston Martin junior Mari Boya.
A social media post from the Comtoyou Racing showed Stroll, Merhi, and Boya with the car they’re set to share.
Following the announcement confirming Stroll’s appearance on Thursday, Aston Martin noted that the Canadian “has always enjoyed pure racing in all its forms” in an apparent swipe at 2026-spec F1.
A statement read: “Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team can confirm that Lance Stroll will be taking part in the opening round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, taking place at Circuit Paul Ricard.
“Lance has always enjoyed pure racing in all its forms and was excited by the opportunity to compete in another ultra-competitive series during the Formula One calendar break.
“Lance will be competing for Comtoyou Racing in an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 with team mates Mari Boya – member of the Aston Martin Aramco Driver Academy – and Roberto Merhi.”
Stroll is no stranger to endurance racing having made two appearances as the Daytona 24 hours in 2016 and 2018, recording a best finish of fifth overall.
Speaking at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last month, Stroll expressed his frustration with the direction the sport has taken with the F1 2026 rules.
He commented that it is “a shame” that the move to sustainable fuels for 2026 has not opened the door for F1 to revert to lighter cars and “nice engines” in the future.
Stroll told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “For me, it could be nicer.
”The cars could be lighter and we could have some nice engines with sustainable fuels.
“But I guess maybe we’re not so happy with the regulations at Aston, but probably [George] Russell and [Kimi] Antonelli may be happy with the regulations now, so I think everyone has their opinion on it.
“But it would just be nice, I think, to have some cars that sound good, a little bit less complicated and just more normal good racing.
“We have the green fuel now. We can go racing with sustainable fuel and we could have engines that sound really good and light cars.
“I think it’s a shame that as a sport we’re not doing that.”
Stroll is yet to complete a race so far this season with Aston Martin suffering a frustrating start to its first year with new technical partner Honda.
It emerged during pre-season testing that the team has been hamstrung by a severe vibration issue with the engine, with team principal Adrian Newey warning in Melbourne that Stroll and teammate Fernando Alonso risked “permanent nerve damage” in their hands if they drove too many laps consecutively.
Aston Martin and Honda have taken steps to resolve the situation in the weeks since with Alonso reaching the finish at the latter’s home race in Japan last weekend.
As reported by PlanetF1.com earlier this week, Honda sampled a fix to its vibration issues on Friday at Suzuka before the manufacturer opted to remove the part for the remainder of the weekend due to “reliability reasons.”
Alonso was left “happily surprised” by the fix, saying the “vibrations on the car were a lot less” during Friday practice.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch
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