9. Lance Stroll
Don’t go thinking that Fernando Alonso is the only active F1 driver to feature in the field at Daytona. Williams’ Lance Stroll will be returning for a second crack at the endurance classic, having finished fifth on debut in 2016 with Chip Ganassi Racing alongside Brendon Hartley, Alexander Wurz and Andy Priaulx.
Stroll remained largely coy about his Daytona escapades prior to the announcement, but is teaming up with Felix Rosenqvist, Daniel Juncadella and Robin Frijns in the #37 Jackie Chan DCR Jota entry for one of the strongest line-ups in the field. The quartet are all friends and established racers, making it a definite story to follow.
Quite whether Stroll will make sports car racing a regular occurrence through his racing career remains to be seen. But the fact is that he didn’t have to do Daytona; he’s doing it (and paying for it) because he wants to do it, and has an interest in motorsport reaching beyond F1. It’s a nice touch, and while Fernando Alonso will of course be the major talking point through this year’s race, let us not forget about young Lance.
