Aston Martin has highlighted the fourth-place finish achieved by its #007 Valkyrie in Lone Star Le Mans earlier this month as a clear sign of the progress it is making in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s headlining Hypercar category, as the famous British brand edges ever-closer to the rostrum.
When the Valkyrie – the only model competing in FIA WEC’s top-tier derived from a road-going vehicle – made its debut in the series in last year’s Qatar 1812km curtain-raiser, it lapped more than three seconds shy of the pace in qualifying and failed to trouble the scorers in its opening six races.
Fast forward to 2026, and the striking green prototype is now a consistent contender for not just points but indeed the podium. Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen finished inside the top seven in both of the final two bouts last season, while stablemates Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble – who managed no better result than 13th in 2025 – are on an impressive run of five consecutive points-paying performances.
The British duo wound up ninth at Imola, fourth at Spa-Francorchamps, eighth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and sixth in São Paulo – where Aston Martin THOR Team claimed its first double top ten finish – prior to confirming that eye-catching form with another fourth place in the recent six-hour contest in Austin, having topped the timesheets in two of the three practice sessions around Circuit of The Americas and bagged a second row starting slot in Hyperpole.
“This result was another example of the progress we continue to make in understanding Valkyrie,” commented Aston Martin Head of Endurance, Adam Carter. “The team delivered an exceptional performance and a podium position was tantalisingly close.
“This championship is packed full of world-class competition, and many of the teams we are racing against have years more accumulated data and understanding to draw upon than we do, so we can take considerable satisfaction from this performance. That said, we intend to continue pushing until the end of the season to see what more can be achieved with Valkyrie in 2026.”
Indeed, while Aston Martin evaluates potential developments in an effort to take another step forward in 2027, it also remains firmly focused on its current battle with Alpine for fifth spot in the Manufacturers’ standings. In the Drivers’ table, Tincknell and Gamble are within touching distance of the top ten with three rounds remaining this year.
“To finish just a couple of seconds away from the podium was a spectacular performance,” commented Team Principal, Ian James. “It shows how much progress we continue to make with this car and team. I’m a racing fan as much as anyone, and when you see the dicing and how close everything is at the front now, it’s exceptional that we’ve come to a place where the team is competing at this level after only 18 months.”
The US-based Brit was as usual on dual duty at COTA, as he simultaneously piloted the #27 Heart of Racing Team Vantage AMR in the LMGT3 division alongside Mattia Drudi and Zacharie Robichon, with the latest generation of Aston Martin’s most successful racing car converting a maiden front row lockout into another notable first – a double podium finish in the class.
It was the #27 that triumphed in Texas – replicating its result from two years earlier around a track with which the Vantage clearly has a strong affinity – while the sister #23 entry crewed by Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello and Jonny Adam placed third. The result represented the trio’s second trip to the rostrum in three rounds, having begun the race from pole position.
“It feels like we’ve finally got the monkey off our back,” reflected James. “We’ve been so close over the last two seasons, and to come here, have such an impressive weekend all-round and finish first and third speaks volumes about this team and what we can do.”
“This was an exemplary performance from Vantage, and a fantastic result for our partner team,” added Carter. “Vantage has been a competitive force in FIA WEC throughout 2026, and this victory feels long overdue. To see both THOR crews up on the podium underlines how well the car performed and just what a high level the team is operating at.”
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