Lance Stroll’s GT racing return, after not competing in sports cars since 2018, was a difficult one, with his team receiving over eight minutes of penalties.
The Canadian took part in the opening round of the GT World Challenge Series on Saturday at Circuit Paul Ricard, the former host of the French Grand Prix.
Stroll was part of the #18 Comtoyou Racing outfit and shared an Aston Martin GT3 Vantage with former Manor F1 driver Roberto Merhi and Aston Martin Academy prospect Mari Boya, who currently competes in F2.
In qualifying, the trio could only manage P15, with the race then proving far from smooth. Across the six-hour race, which finished at night, the #18 crew were classified in 48th place.
Unfortunately, eight minutes and 25 seconds’ worth of penalties were handed to the team during the event.
Boya’s involvement in causing a collision resulted in a stop-and-go penalty, while four minutes’ worth of penalties were received for ignoring blue flags. A further three minutes and 40 seconds of penalties were handed to the #18 crew for exceeding track limits.
Stroll was specifically responsible for one minute of penalties for failing to respect blue flags and 115 seconds’ worth for exceeding track limits.
Despite all three drivers being responsible for the various rule breaches, Stroll did show very promising lap times among some of the quickest drivers on the grid.
While Stroll’s team finished in 48th, the #7 Comtoyou Racing outfit secured a late victory.