Early signs are positive for Aston’s updated WEC Hypercar

There is good correlation between projected data and real life running

It’s well known that the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR has some inherent issues, notably the rideability. But having conducted a test at Silverstone in the summer with an updated car, there is hope those issues could be ironed out for 2027.

Although on paper it might look like the Aston Martin Valkyrie isn’t the most competitive Hypercar on the World Endurance Championship grid, it would be foolish to believe it is fundamentally slow.

There is pace buried in the Valkyrie, but it can often be hard to unlock its full potential given how hard it can be to drive.

As Harry Tincknell put it to The Pit Stop Endurance at the Lone Star Le Mans, the car likes “snooker tables rather than World Rally Championship circuits”.

When the track is rough and bumpy, the drivers struggle for confidence in the car. But when the track is smooth, they can really begin to show what the car can do, and are often competitive.

Knowing the rideability is an issue, Aston Martin is working on an updated car for the 2027 WEC season, and recently conducted a test at Silverstone.

And as Tincknell explained, there were positive signs.

“[Rideability] is all part of the package we tried at Silverstone and we made good steps,” Tincknell explained.

“It was just really a correlation test. We didn’t do tons and tons of laps. It was more about just the numbers on the computer and the windtunnel matching up with the numbers in real life.

“So it was more the ins and outs rather than necessarily doing long runs and trying to optimise the laptime around Silverstone.”

“The early signs are really positive and I’m excited.”

So far at the Lone Star Le Mans, the Aston Martin has been fast, setting the pace in Friday’s section practice session.

Of course, laptimes in practice are often taken with a pinch of salt, but it does prove the Valkyrie does have potential if the rideability can be dialed out of the car. And as it evaluates its options for 2027, Tincknell confirmed that the team will be conducting a further test on the upgrades shortly after the weekend.

“We’ve got a good test coming up this week. And obviously we will have the data from this weekend, real life data from this weekend and real life data from the new car. So I think we’ll have a better idea there.

“But the early signs are positive.”

An improved rideability in the Valkyrie will also be welcome news to Tincknell’s stablemate Marco Sorensen who confirmed at the Lone Star Le Mans that he was struggling a lot with the way the car was running around the Circuit of the Americas compared to the sister #007 machine.

“Overall it’s been feeling good here, but a very difficult car overall to drive around this track for sure,” was Sorensen’s feedback when asked how the car has handled the COTA circuit.

“The general ride quality as we have it right now makes it very nervous in many areas. And that’s something we’re obviously trying to improve. It’s quick, but driving wise it’s very physical and it’s a challenge to drive around here.”

Considering Aston Martin’s pace given the current issues in the car, this all does leave optimism for 2027 then.

The car can be fast when it’s in the right window. We’ve already seen that at Spa in 2026, and so far this season, the #007 machine has scored points in every race.

So, if the team can get on top of the rideability for next year, it could well be that the Valkyrie pushes further up the pecking order.

And who knows, if the team really gets on top of its issues, the updated car could help Aston Martin begin to fight for podiums next year. That would be a sign of real progress.