Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar Shines at Silverstone Test
Aston Martin's breathtaking Valkyrie Hypercar completed a comprehensive test on Silverstone's world-famous Grand Prix circuit. The track serves as the sporting home of the 'Wings', the AMR Technology Campus, and the venue for the British round of the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 6 Hours of Silverstone (23-25 April 2027).
The Aston Martin THOR Team, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, masters the British luxury performance brand's WEC Hypercar and US-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA) GTP programme. On Wednesday (19 April), the team ran a development version of the 6.5-litre V12-powered Valkyrie Hypercar, with factory drivers Ross Gunn (GBR) and Harry Tincknell (GBR) driving on the 3.66-mile circuit.
Aston Martin THOR assessed a wide range of technical items under development during the day's running, gathering valuable data. The team continues to evaluate the future performance direction of the unique and pioneering Valkyrie Hypercar.
"This was a significant day for Valkyrie," said Aston Martin THOR Team Principal Ian James. "Some of the developments we tried today will fuel our thinking as we consider the technical direction we go next with Valkyrie. We have been able to evaluate lots of areas of performance on the car, so Silverstone has proved an interesting place to test ideas. There's more to come, and I think it gives us reasons to be excited about what might be next for Valkyrie."
Valkyrie has already shown significant performance gains through 2026 in both WEC and IMSA through 2026. The British hypercar holds the title of the first 'Le Mans Hypercar' (LMH) that Aston Martin has produced, and it stands as the only car in the top category of WEC or IMSA that derives from a road-legal hypercar. Last month, Valkyrie claimed its first double-points finish in WEC's 6 Hours of São Paulo, placing sixth and ninth. In IMSA, the results sheet placed Gunn and team-mate Roman De Angelis (CAN) fifth, despite the pair finishing second on the road. This marked Valkyrie's sixth top ten finish from seven starts in North America's premier endurance series.
"We've been happy with Valkyrie's performance characteristics in the first two seasons of competition," said Aston Martin's Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter. "We've repeatedly said that we've entered an arena with a high level of formidable adversaries that are also several years further down the development track than us.
"So, we are now beginning to explore new areas of performance that we may gain through developing the base car, now that we understand its characteristics that much better after 18 months of racing it. We're right at the beginning of that journey, and this was a useful and informative start to that development process."
The test also gave Aston Martin THOR valuable experience of the Michelin and circuit characteristics ahead of WEC's return to the 'Home of British Motorsport' in 2027. Next season will mark the first time the series has hosted a round in Britain since 2019.
"We very much welcome Silverstone back to the calendar," said Carter. "It is not only the home of Aston Martin and British motorsport, but also the perfect opportunity for some of the best fans in the world to experience the raw and visceral joy that is the Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar. They have waited a long time to see Valkyrie competing at the highest level on British soil, and they deserve to be thoroughly entertained. We will do our best to contribute to that experience."
Aston Martin and THOR developed the current competition version from the Valkyrie production car. It blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 powerplant that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form. However, it adheres to a strict 500kW (680bhp) power limit under hypercar regulations.
