Significant upgrades tested for Aston Martin Valkyrie

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Hypercar looks set to receive a substantial update for the 2027 season, with the British brand revealing that the car completed a comprehensive development test at Silverstone on Wednesday to evaluate the future performance direction of its LMH contender.

The works Aston Martin THOR Team, which operates the British brand’s FIA WEC Hypercar and U.S.-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP program, ran a development version of the 6.5-liter V12-powered Valkyrie Hypercar on the Grand Prix circuit. Imagery appears to show a revised aero package across the car, including a new-look rear end.

Factory drivers Ross Gunn and Harry Tincknell shared driving duties during the test, with Aston Martin THOR assessing a wide range of technical items under development and gathering data for the next stage of the Valkyrie’s evolution.

“This was a significant day for Valkyrie,” said Aston Martin THOR boss 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 challenge ideas. There’s more to come, and I think it gives us reasons to be excited about what might be next for Valkyrie.”

The test comes after Valkyrie has shown a recent uptick in form in both WEC and IMSA. It claimed its first double-points finish in WEC at last month’s 6 Hours of São Paulo, placing sixth and ninth, while Gunn and teammate Roman De Angelis were classified fifth in the IMSA GTP class at Road America earlier in August after finishing second on the road.

“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 provided Aston Martin THOR with valuable experience of the Michelin tire and circuit characteristics ahead of the WEC’s return to the Silverstone in 2027.

“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 adds to the growing list of manufacturers teasing 2027 evolutions for their Hypercars, which includes fellow LMH manufacturers Peugeot and Ferrari.