Lance Stroll says he consulted Max Verstappen before committing to making his GT racing debut during this year's unexpected Formula 1 calendar gap.
Stroll will race in this weekend's GT World Challenge Europe season opener at Paul Ricard for Aston Martin squad Comtoyou Racing, sharing an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with sometime F1 driver Roberto Merhi and Aston Martin F1 academy driver Mari Boya.
That race - part of the series' Endurance Cup championship - that would have clashed with F1's Bahrain Grand Prix but for its cancellation (along with the Saudi Arabian GP) due to military conflict that has taken place in the Middle East.
Asked about his decision to contest the race, Stroll said that plan had been formed at the Japanese GP - F1's most recent race, at Suzuka - while at dinner with Merhi and others, when "we were talking about what we could do during this break period - about a month - because some races were cancelled".
"We had the idea to do a GT race together," said Stroll. "That's really where it all started, in Japan."
Stroll said his contact with Verstappen was 'brief' and took place at Suzuka, and centred on who best to approach to make an opportunity happen.
Four-time F1 champion Verstappen has in the past 12 months explored GT racing himself and is due to make his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut next month.
"We talked about who to contact, and since he's already involved in GT racing, we discussed it a bit," added Stroll, who has previous sportscar racing experience from two Daytona 24 Hours prototype starts.
The Aston Martin F1 driver also thanked Comtoyou owner and team principal Jean-Michel Baert for "bringing everything together so quickly", adding: "It wouldn't have been possible [without Baert].
"We really organised this in just a few days while we were in Japan."
The Vantage that Stroll, Merhi and Boya will race is one of four that Comtoyou will field in what is a 59-car entry at Paul Ricard.
He said his primary goal for the weekend was "enjoyment - and it's also a race" but added that he felt victory was not out of the question for his car, which is entered in the headline, 18-car Pro division.
"In Formula 1, you don't always have the opportunity to win," he said. "Here, it's very competitive, but even if it's our first time and we lack experience, if everything comes together - good set-up, good feeling - winning is possible.
"That doesn't really exist in Formula 1.
"That's also a big motivation for me to be here."
Context:
Stroll seeks GT racing advice from Verstappen during F1's Middle East race cancellations.
Context:
F1 drivers exploring other series highlights calendar disruptions and competitive frustrations.
Context:
Verstappen debuts at Nurburgring 24 Hours next month, expanding his own GT racing portfolio.
