F1 Star Endures Difficult GT World Challenge Debut as Jules Gounon Battles Health Scare
Lance Stroll’s first appearance in the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season ended in disappointment after a penalty-filled race left his Aston Martin squad well outside the points at Paul Ricard.
With Formula 1’s calendar temporarily disrupted following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, several drivers have taken the opportunity to compete in other categories. Stroll joined the growing list of F1 drivers exploring GT racing, following the example of reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, who has also expanded his racing activities beyond grand prix competition.
The Canadian driver lined up for the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe at the famous Paul Ricard circuit in France. Once a regular Formula 1 venue, the track is now widely used for endurance racing and testing. Stroll shared the ComtoYou Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO with former Formula 1 racer Roberto Merhi and rising Spanish talent Mari Boya.
Despite having limited experience in GT machinery, Stroll made a promising start to the weekend. He produced an encouraging qualifying performance by placing the Aston Martin 15th on the overall grid, giving the team a solid platform heading into the endurance race.
Unfortunately, the race quickly unraveled as penalties began to pile up for the team’s other drivers.
Merhi endured a particularly frustrating outing. Race officials handed him five separate 30-second penalties for repeatedly failing to respect blue flags while being lapped. His troubles did not end there, as he also received an additional 75-second penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits. Another track limits violation later resulted in a further pit stop penalty, with an extra 30 seconds added to the team’s race time.
Boya also found himself in trouble with the stewards after being judged responsible for a collision. The incident earned him a 35-second stop-and-go penalty, adding even more time to an already difficult race.
The accumulation of penalties completely derailed the Aston Martin team’s hopes of securing a competitive result. By the end of the race, Stroll, Merhi and Boya had fallen to 48th place overall and were lapped 12 times by the leading sister Aston Martin entered by the same ComtoYou Racing team.
The winning sister car, driven by Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim, highlighted the performance potential of the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO by delivering a front-running performance, making the struggles of Stroll’s crew even more frustrating.
While Stroll’s debut proved challenging, Max Verstappen’s GT racing project enjoyed a considerably stronger result.
The Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry, driven by Daniel Juncadella, Chris Lulham and Jules Gounon, secured ninth place overall after a competitive performance throughout the race. The trio crossed the finish line just 35 seconds behind the race winners, underlining the competitiveness of the Verstappen-backed operation in its latest endurance racing appearance.
However, the weekend was far from straightforward for one of Verstappen Racing’s drivers.
French racer Jules Gounon faced a major health challenge before the race after suffering food poisoning on the eve of the event. The illness caused severe dehydration and left him with very little sleep ahead of one of the toughest endurance races on the calendar.
Medical staff assessed Gounon early on race day and provided treatment to stabilise his condition. After receiving medical clearance, he was declared fit to compete despite his weakened physical state.
Gounon went on to deliver an impressive performance under extremely difficult circumstances, completing a demanding double stint behind the wheel. After the race, he described the effort as one of the most physically exhausting drives of his career.
The intense exertion ultimately caught up with him. Shortly after climbing out of the Mercedes-AMG, Gounon collapsed and fainted, prompting immediate attention from medical personnel.
He was taken to the circuit’s medical centre, where doctors monitored his condition for several hours while continuing treatment for dehydration and exhaustion. His team remained by his side throughout his recovery.
Although Stroll’s GT World Challenge debut ended with disappointment, the experience provided valuable mileage in endurance racing during Formula 1’s unexpected mid-season break. Meanwhile, Verstappen Racing’s top-10 finish and Gounon’s remarkable determination became two of the standout stories from an eventful opening round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season at Paul Ricard.
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