– Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll’s GT3 debut did not go as hoped from a sporting perspective: The Canadian, together with his teammates Mari Boya and former Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi, finished 48th out of 49 classified cars, 13 laps behind the winning sister car.
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Nevertheless, Stroll drew an overall satisfied conclusion. “I really enjoyed my debut in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, and despite limited preparation, I felt comfortable in the car, the pace was very encouraging,” the Formula 1 driver summarized.
“During my stint, I was among the fastest, and with every lap, I became more familiar with the car and was able to improve my lap times. Of course, the race was basically already over when I started my stint, due to several earlier problems.”
What the Canadian means by this: A series of penalties, including a stop-and-go penalty after a collision with the AF-Corse Ferrari #50, had already thrown the Aston Martin, which started in the Pro class, out of contention for top positions early on, before Stroll got into the cockpit in the last two hours of the race.
Lance Stroll delivers a strong GT3 debut
“But still, it was great to drive, to be out under race conditions at night, and to gain experience in a highly competitive championship,” Stroll said, not letting the unfortunate result take away his joy in his GT3 debut.
“I want to thank the team for making this opportunity possible on such short notice and providing us with a fast car. It was a lot of fun!” admitted the Aston Martin driver. His performances were also quite positive.
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Because despite limited experience in the dark, caused by a technical problem in practice, the 27-year-old achieved the third-best stint average in this final phase of the race and also set the eighth fastest lap of the entire field.
Lance Stroll had “a lot of fun” in the GT3 car
However, his own stint was not without mistakes: The Canadian received a penalty for exceeding track limits. Shortly before the end of the race, he was outside the top 40 before his team instructed him to retire the car early in the pits.
Nevertheless, Stroll has apparently caught the bug. “I had a lot of fun and look forward to racing more GT races soon,” the Formula 1 driver announced. “Let’s see when the calendar allows it, but I look forward to driving the Vantage GT3 again soon.”
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Stroll could thus follow in the footsteps of Max Verstappen: The four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has been active in GT3 cars for some time and will even make his debut this year at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
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