Stroll speaks out after multiple penalties for his team in GTWC debut race

The Canadian, like Verstappen, opted to compete outside Formula 1 last weekend, taking advantage of the enforced April break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Despite not finishing in a notable position, the Aston Martin driver said he enjoyed his debut in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, adding that even with limited preparation he felt comfortable in the car and found the pace very encouraging.

“I enjoyed my debut in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and even with limited preparation I felt good in the car, and the pace was very encouraging. I was one of the fastest during my stint and every lap, I was getting more comfortable with the car and improving my lap times," Stroll said.

“Of course, the race was basically over when I started my stint due to several issues we’d had, but nevertheless it was great to drive, run in the race conditions at night, and gain experience in a highly competitive championship.”

He finally added: “I had a lot of fun, and I look forward to doing more GT racing soon,” he said. Let’s see when the calendar allows, but I look forward to driving the Vantage GT3 again soon.”

Stroll produced a strong qualifying performance, putting the Comtoyou-run Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO in 15th overall, but the race quickly unraveled for him and his team-mates.

A string of penalties proved decisive, most of them picked up by his fellow drivers. Merhi was hit particularly hard, racking up multiple sanctions, including five separate 30-second penalties for ignoring blue flags, a further time penalty for exceeding track limits, and an additional pit stop penalty for another infringement.

Boya also added to the team’s troubles after receiving a stop-and-go penalty for causing a collision, compounding an already difficult race. The end result was a heavy setback, with Stroll and his team-mates classified down in 48th place, having been lapped 12 times by their sister car of Drudi, Sørensen and Thiim, running identical machinery within the same team.