Video of Stroll testing a Citroen C3 rally car emerged over the weekend and comes as drivers and teams look to bank early seat time ahead of the forthcoming 2025 F1 season.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both had multiple days behind the wheel for Ferrari, while McLaren’s Lando Norris has completed testing duties on behalf of Pirelli in a two-day outing.
Alpine too has been in action with Australian rookie Jack Doohan chalking up the miles in an older-spec car ahead of F1 pre-season testing beginning later this month.
Stroll opted for a second-tier Rally2 machine prepared by Sports & You, sampling the Fafe stage in Portugal, known in WRC circles for its jumps.
His outing fuelled speculation that first surfaced that he was the ‘mystery F1 driver’ who had been secretly testing rally machinery last season.
Thought initially to be Valtteri Bottas, the Finn denied it at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Bottas has previously competed in rallies, finishing fifth in the Arctic Lapland Rally in 2019.
The Finn is not alone in having dabbled in rallying, with Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen having sampled the discipline.
Stroll is set to remain with Aston Martin in Formula 1 for at least the coming two seasons, with his current deal running through to the end of 2026.
It’s an exciting period for his Silverstone-based team, owned by his father, with Adrian Newey set to join in the coming weeks.
He does so at an operation with expansive, new-near facilities and ahead of Honda becoming a factory engine partner from 2026.
