Last Updated on April 14 2026, 10:58 am
Lance Stroll made his long-awaited return to GT racing last weekend. What should have been a promising comeback at the Circuit Paul Ricard quickly turned into a bruising lesson in the discipline required for endurance racing.
Competing in the GT World Challenge alongside Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya, Stroll’s team accumulated an astonishing eight minutes and 25 seconds in penalties during the six-hour race, effectively eliminating any possibility of achieving a competitive result.
Driving the #18 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for Comtoyou Racing, Stroll was returning to a discipline he hadn’t competed in since 2018. Expectations were naturally high, given his Formula 1 pedigree, but the reality of multi-class endurance racing proved far more complex.
A difficult weekend from the start
The warning signs were evident from qualifying, where the #18 car could only manage 15th on the grid. This placed them firmly in the midfield, immediately exposing them to the chaos of traffic in a multi-class race.
Unlike in Formula 1, where grid position often dictates race trajectory, GT racing requires drivers to constantly navigate through slower and faster cars alike.
As the race unfolded into the evening under the famous floodlights of Paul Ricard, the situation deteriorated. Incidents, misjudgements and repeated infringements began to pile up, turning a challenging race into a disastrous one.
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Penalties Pile Up
The most significant setback came when Boya was involved in a collision, resulting in a costly stop-and-go penalty for the team.
Beyond that, the problems multiplied rapidly. The crew accumulated four minutes of penalties for ignoring blue flags, while an additional three minutes and 40 seconds were added for exceeding track limits, alongside further time penalties linked to individual errors.
Stroll himself played a significant part in this, receiving a one-minute penalty for failing to respect blue flags and an additional 115 seconds for exceeding track limits. While all three drivers contributed to the mounting penalties, the Canadian’s share was particularly notable given his top-tier experience.
By the end of the six-hour contest, the #18 car limped home in 48th place, a stark contrast to pre-race expectations.
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Speed was there, execution was not
Despite the chaos, there were glimpses of promise. Stroll’s lap times were, at times, among the most competitive on the grid. This underlined an important point: the issue was not speed, but adaptation.
GT3 racing demands a very different skill set to Formula 1. It’s not just about achieving maximum performance in a single lap; it’s also about managing traffic, preserving the car and making split-second decisions during long stints.
Stroll’s seven-year absence from the discipline was evident. While muscle memory for speed may remain, the subtle instincts required for endurance racing, especially in traffic, clearly need time to be rebuilt.
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Why blue flags became a problem
One of the most striking aspects of the weekend was the sheer number of penalties for ignoring blue flags, which is something that is rarely seen from a Formula 1 driver.
The explanation lies in the structural differences between the two categories. In Formula 1, Stroll is a solo driver and his team constantly feeds him information via radio. Blue flags are clearly communicated within a relatively uniform field. In GT racing, however, multiple driver classes create significant pace differences. Drivers must therefore rely far more on their own awareness than on constant radio guidance, and traffic is continuous rather than occasional.
Professional drivers can be several seconds faster per lap than amateur competitors, meaning overtaking and encounters with slower cars happen constantly. Misjudging these situations quickly leads to penalties, as Stroll experienced firsthand.
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The sister car contrast
What made the result even more painful was the performance of the sister car. While the #18 crew struggled, the #7 Comtoyou Racing entry delivered a flawless race to claim victory.
Both cars were run by the same team, used the same machinery and received identical technical support, yet the outcome could not have been more different. The difference ultimately came down to execution.
The winning crew managed traffic efficiently, respected track limits throughout and avoided penalties entirely. In endurance racing, consistency often outweighs outright speed, and the #7 car demonstrated exactly that principle.
A Different Kind of Driving Challenge
Another factor behind the struggles was the nature of the GT3 machinery itself. Compared to Formula 1 cars, which weigh under 800 kilograms, GT3 machines are significantly heavier at around 1,300 kilograms. They rely less on aerodynamic grip and require longer braking distances.
This fundamentally changes how drivers approach corners and track limits. Moves that might be achievable in an F1 car often push a GT3 car beyond its limits.
Stroll’s repeated violations of the track limits suggest that he was still driving on instinct, shaped by his experience in Formula 1, and pushing the car as if it had the same grip and responsiveness.
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Ambition vs preparation
Stroll’s return also invites comparison with Max Verstappen, who has increasingly pursued endurance racing alongside his Formula 1 commitments. The key difference, however, lies in preparation.
Verstappen has approached GT and endurance racing with a structured programme and consistent seat time, whereas Stroll jumped into a competitive six-hour race after a seven-year absence. While admirable, that level of ambition was always likely to come with growing pains.
The weekend at Paul Ricard will be remembered by Stroll as both harsh and valuable in terms of his learning experience. However, there are still positives to take away. His raw speed remains competitive, he is clearly motivated to explore other disciplines, and he has the potential to contribute to GT programmes.
If he commits to GT racing with additional testing and a consistent schedule, he has every chance of becoming a strong contender in the category. Perhaps the Canadian is actively looking for a Formula 1 exit plan?
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Clara Marlowe has worked in motorsport journalism for over 15 years, writing features for established sports magazines and online outlets. With formal training in journalism and a reputation for human-interest storytelling, she highlights the often-overlooked figures behind Formula 1’s success.
