* Six works Aston Martin GT drivers and two Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy graduates to take the start of 2026 GT World Europe season
* Ten percent of Paul Ricard grid comprised of Aston Martin Vantage
* One of the strongest Vantage line-ups ever assembled for GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season
* Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team driver Lance Stroll to race in Comtoyou Racing Vantage GT3 alongside Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya
Gaydon, UK : Aston Martin will field an ultra-strong seven-car Vantage GT3 line-up for the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe, at Paul Ricard, on Saturday 11 April. The entry constitutes more than ten percent of the 60-car field in the world’s largest GT-only endurance championship and is the most representation the British ultra-luxury performance brand has ever enjoyed at the start of the series.
The line-up features three Pro Class entries for Paul Ricard, including a fourth Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to be driven by Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team driver Lance Stroll (CAN), former Formula One® driver and GT racer Roberto Merhi (ESP) and Aston Martin Aramco Academy driver Mari Boya (ESP).
Entered in the Pro Class, they will join the rest of the 60-car field for the Prologue test which takes place at Paul Ricard on Wednesday 8 April, immediately prior to the race weekend. The traditional day-to-night season opener will then commence on Saturday evening.
This car is joined by the two regular Pro class season entries at Paul Ricard, as well as two more Vantages in each of the Silver and Bronze Cups and includes a driving strength that features no less than six works GT drivers and two Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy graduates.
Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter said; “It is fantastic for Aston Martin to have the strongest Vantage line-up the brand has ever fielded in the GT World Challenge Europe that includes two Pro cars filled with Aston Martin works drivers, and we’re proud to say, our two most recent AMR Driver Academy graduates Kobe Pauwels and Jamie Day. The GT World Challenge Europe goes from strength to strength with every passing season and there is no better way, or place, to showcase Vantage’s exceptional abilities on the international motorsport stage.”
Comtoyou Racing has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in GT racing with Aston Martin. The Belgian team delivered Aston Martin its first victory in the Spa 24 Hours in the modern GT-only era, in 2024, with works drivers Mattia Drudi (ITA), Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Nicki Thiim (DEN). It then followed that up by clinching the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Silver Cup title in 2025 with AMR Driver Academy winners Jamie Day (GBR) and Kobe Pauwels (BEL).
For 2026, the team’s regular line-up consists of the #7 Pro Class Vantage for Drudi, Thiim and Sørensen, a Silver Cup #21 entry for Sébastien Baud (FRA), Pauwels and Oliver Söderström (SWE) and a Bronze Cup #11 Vantage for Marcelo Tomasoni (BRA), Aaron Muss (USA) and Kyle Marcelli (USA).
Comtoyou Racing is joined in GT World Challenge Europe by two other key Aston Martin partners; German team Walkenhorst Motorsport and Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn – which makes its series debut after successful stints in the British GT Championship and the Asian Le Mans Series.
Walkenhorst Motorsport will enter a Pro Class #34 Vantage for works Aston Martin drivers Henrique Chaves (POR), Christian Krognes (NOR) and Silver Cup champion Day. In the Silver Cup, the team’s #35 line-up will include Ethan Ischer (CHE), Mateo Villagomez (ECU) and SRO GT Academy winner Gaspard Simon (FRA). Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn will run a highly competitive Bronze Cup car for works driver Jonny Adam (GBR), Giacomo Petrobelli (ITA) and Tom Wood (GBR) in Paul Ricard.
The GT World Challenge Europe is the world’s leading GT3-based endurance series. Featuring ten manufacturers and 60 cars, the field comprises some of the best sportscar racing talent in the world. Run over five rounds, the series begins at Paul Ricard in France, then goes to Monza in Italy (29-31 May) before moving on to its blue riband event – the Crowdstrike Spa 24 Hours (24-28 June). The series then completes with two three-hour races at the Nürburgring in Germany (28-30 August) and Portugal’s Portimao circuit (16-18 October).
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the high-performance Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3, which triumphed at the 24 Hours of Spa in 2024 – the world’s most prestigious GT3-only event, is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
About Aston Martin Lagonda:
Aston Martin’s vision is to be the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British brand, creating the most exquisitely addictive performance cars
Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, and exclusivity. Aston Martin fuses the latest technology, time honoured craftsmanship and beautiful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed luxury models including the Vantage, DB12, Vanquish, DBX and its first mid-engined plug-in hybrid, Valhalla. Aligned with its Racing. Green. sustainability strategy, Aston Martin is developing alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine through a blended drivetrain approach, with a clear plan to have a line-up of electrified sports cars and SUVs.
Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates, and exports cars which are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Its sports cars are manufactured in Gaydon with its luxury DBX SUV range proudly manufactured in St Athan, Wales.
Lagonda was founded in 1899 and came together with Aston Martin in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown, and the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
2020 saw Lawrence Stroll become the company’s Executive Chairman, alongside significant new investment. This coincided with Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team and commenced a new era for the iconic British marque.
