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Most drivers stuck in traffic on the way to Spa-Francorchamps last week were dealing with Belgian motorway congestion. Lance Stroll was not most drivers.
motorsports photographer Kym Illman photographed Stroll arriving at Liege Airport in a Bombardier Global 5000, which turned out to be the biggest private aircraft to land there across the entire Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The jet departed from Nice Cote d’Azur – the airport most Monaco residents rely on for international travel – and is capable of carrying as many as 17 passengers, reaching cruise speeds of approximately 490 knots, with a maximum range of just under 5,200 nautical miles.
The jet was also equipped with Starlink, meaning Stroll had the option to stream content at roughly 650 mph somewhere above the English Channel. Used Global 5000s on GlobalAir.com are currently asking between $10 million and $12 million, with average market values climbing toward $14 million based on the aircraft’s age and configuration.
Once on the ground, Stroll skipped ground-level travel altogether, transferring to an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter to cover the remaining distance to the track – a journey of around 10 minutes in the air. The AW139 seats up to 15 passengers and runs on twin engines, capable of handling missions ranging from luxury passenger transport to offshore energy operations, hitting cruising speeds of roughly 174 mph and carrying enough range to make a short trip to Spa look trivial.
According to Paramount Business Jets, buyers looking at new models can expect to pay upward of $7.5 million, with the final price depending heavily on the aircraft’s age and how it is equipped. Add that to the jet, and the combined hardware ferrying Stroll to the grid carries a rough combined valuation of around $16 million.
The travel arrangements were, it turned out, the smoothest part of his Belgian GP weekend. The FIA confirmed ahead of the race that Stroll had taken a fourth MGU-K unit of the season, exceeding the three-unit allocation permitted under the 2026 Sporting Regulations. The Technical Delegate’s notice was unambiguous: the component use was “not in conformity with B8.2.2 f)” of the rules, triggering an automatic 10-place grid drop. At Silverstone, Stroll had accumulated three five-second penalties during the preceding race, each one handed down for breaching track limits.
None of that has anything to do with the jet, of course. But there’s a certain symmetry to arriving in $16 million worth of aircraft and then starting from the back of the grid anyway.
Continue reading...
motorsports photographer Kym Illman photographed Stroll arriving at Liege Airport in a Bombardier Global 5000, which turned out to be the biggest private aircraft to land there across the entire Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The jet departed from Nice Cote d’Azur – the airport most Monaco residents rely on for international travel – and is capable of carrying as many as 17 passengers, reaching cruise speeds of approximately 490 knots, with a maximum range of just under 5,200 nautical miles.
The jet was also equipped with Starlink, meaning Stroll had the option to stream content at roughly 650 mph somewhere above the English Channel. Used Global 5000s on GlobalAir.com are currently asking between $10 million and $12 million, with average market values climbing toward $14 million based on the aircraft’s age and configuration.
From the Tarmac, He Still Didn’t Drive
Once on the ground, Stroll skipped ground-level travel altogether, transferring to an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter to cover the remaining distance to the track – a journey of around 10 minutes in the air. The AW139 seats up to 15 passengers and runs on twin engines, capable of handling missions ranging from luxury passenger transport to offshore energy operations, hitting cruising speeds of roughly 174 mph and carrying enough range to make a short trip to Spa look trivial.
According to Paramount Business Jets, buyers looking at new models can expect to pay upward of $7.5 million, with the final price depending heavily on the aircraft’s age and how it is equipped. Add that to the jet, and the combined hardware ferrying Stroll to the grid carries a rough combined valuation of around $16 million.
The travel arrangements were, it turned out, the smoothest part of his Belgian GP weekend. The FIA confirmed ahead of the race that Stroll had taken a fourth MGU-K unit of the season, exceeding the three-unit allocation permitted under the 2026 Sporting Regulations. The Technical Delegate’s notice was unambiguous: the component use was “not in conformity with B8.2.2 f)” of the rules, triggering an automatic 10-place grid drop. At Silverstone, Stroll had accumulated three five-second penalties during the preceding race, each one handed down for breaching track limits.
None of that has anything to do with the jet, of course. But there’s a certain symmetry to arriving in $16 million worth of aircraft and then starting from the back of the grid anyway.
Continue reading...
