The Aston Martin Valkyrie was never going to be a car that stood still.
After 18 months of competition, the THOR works team has returned to Silverstone with a development car to chase the kind of incremental performance gains that matter in top-level endurance racing. It’s a useful sign of where the programme is heading as Aston Martin builds on experience gathered across WEC and IMSA.
At a glance
- Aston Martin’s THOR works team has tested a Valkyrie development car at Silverstone.
- Factory drivers Ross Gunn and Harry Tincknell ran the car on the 5.89-km Grand Prix circuit to gather performance data.
- The test also serves as preparation for the 6 Hours of Silverstone, scheduled for April 23-25, 2027.
Silverstone gives the Valkyrie programme a focused test bed
Silverstone is a fitting place to look for more from the Valkyrie.
The 5.89-km Grand Prix circuit gives teams a demanding blend of high-speed corners, braking zones and direction changes, making it valuable for understanding how a race car behaves across different phases of a lap.
Factory drivers Ross Gunn and Harry Tincknell shared driving duties during the session, giving the team feedback from two experienced perspectives.
The aim wasn’t simply to put mileage on the car.
The team used the outing to gather information from multiple areas of the Valkyrie, data that can help shape the next steps in its development.
A programme moving beyond its first lessons
Aston Martin now has 18 months of racing experience with the Valkyrie, and that time on track is beginning to inform a more mature development direction.
The car has already shown progress across both WEC and IMSA, where the 2026 season brought more encouraging results for the programme.
One notable IMSA result came with Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis classified fifth after crossing the finish line second, a reminder of how narrow the margins can be in endurance racing.
For a car as unusual as the Valkyrie, every race weekend offers another layer of information.
The Silverstone test appears to be part of that same long-game approach, with Team Principal Ian James treating the session as a meaningful step in deciding how the car evolves from here.
Britain’s WEC return adds extra context
The test also carries a practical calendar advantage.
Silverstone is due to host the 6 Hours of Silverstone from April 23-25, 2027, marking the first British round of the World Endurance Championship since 2019.
For Aston Martin, that gives this running more value than a generic development day.
Understanding the circuit now could prove useful when the WEC field returns to British soil, especially for a team still extracting the Valkyrie’s full competitive potential.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Aston Martin |
|---|---|
| Model | Valkyrie development car |
| Team | THOR works team |
| Test venue | Silverstone Grand Prix circuit |
| Circuit length | 5.89 km |
| Drivers | Ross Gunn and Harry Tincknell |
| Racing programmes | WEC and IMSA |
| Upcoming relevant event | 6 Hours of Silverstone, April 23-25, 2027 |
The Valkyrie remains one of the most distinctive machines in modern endurance racing, but its next chapter will be written in details rather than drama.
If Aston Martin can turn Silverstone’s test data into usable race pace, the car’s development curve could become just as interesting as its design.
