Aston Martin Valkyrie Proves Its Potential With Best WEC Finish Yet

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie has always been something of a fever dream made real, a road-legal hypercar with Formula 1 DNA that sounds like thunder and revs to the heavens. But in Japan, at the 6 Hours of Fuji, the Valkyrie showed it’s more than just a poster car. It’s now a legitimate contender in the highest echelon of endurance racing.

Valkyrie: A Milestone in Fuji

The Fuji round marked Aston Martin’s 100th race in the FIA World Endurance Championship, a milestone for the British marque that has been there since the series began in 2012. For their centennial start, the works Aston Martin THOR Team delivered their best result yet in the Valkyrie program—fifth place, and just shy of a maiden podium.

Behind the wheel were Marco Sørensen of Denmark and Spain’s Alex Riberas, both veterans of Aston Martin’s GT racing efforts. Sørensen set the tone early, qualifying strongly and launching the #009 Valkyrie into the race from the second row of the grid. From the opening laps, the V12 howled near the front of the field, proving the team had genuine pace.

Chaos, Penalties, and Comebacks

Endurance racing is rarely straightforward, and Fuji was no exception. Six full course yellows turned the six-hour race into a game of chess, often shuffling the order unpredictably. Sørensen initially had the car running third before a drive-through penalty pushed the Valkyrie to the back of the Hypercar pack. What followed was a furious comeback that saw the Dane carving through the field.

Riberas took his turn in the chaos, navigating a race littered with interruptions. Each time the Valkyrie clawed forward, another yellow flag seemed to undo the work. Still, the Spaniard brought the car as high as fourth before handing it back over.

In the final stint, Sørensen was one of the fastest men on track. The team opted for four fresh tires while rivals gambled on two, a move that ultimately cost the Valkyrie a podium. Crossing the line sixth, the team was later promoted to fifth after post-race penalties reshuffled the results.

Building Momentum

For Aston Martin, the finish was both a breakthrough and a promise of what’s to come. “When you look back to Qatar at the start of the season a result like this would have seemed like a dream,” said THOR Team principal Ian James. “Now we’re a little frustrated not to have achieved a podium finish. That tells you how far we’ve come.”

The fifth-place result also marked the first time Aston Martin drivers scored world championship points in WEC’s Hypercar class. For Sørensen and Riberas, it was validation that the Valkyrie project, once seen as experimental, now belongs in the conversation among Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, and Cadillac.

A Different Kind of Hypercar

The Valkyrie is unlike anything else in the field. Derived directly from the road-going hypercar penned by Adrian Newey and developed by Aston Martin with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, it marries a carbon chassis to a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 that screams to 11,000 rpm. In production form, it produces over 1,000 horsepower, but under WEC regulations, it’s reined in to around 680. Even so, its character remains unfiltered and utterly distinct from its turbocharged rivals.

It’s also the only car on the Hypercar grid derived from a street machine, and the only one that competes in both WEC and IMSA’s top category, underlining its dual-purpose DNA.

Looking Ahead to Bahrain

Fuji showed flashes of what the Valkyrie can become. Sørensen summed it up candidly: “It feels like we had the pace for the podium. That’s why fifth feels bittersweet. But when you see how far we’ve come since Qatar, it’s exciting. We’ll try again in Bahrain.”

The 2025 WEC season wraps up under the lights at Bahrain International Circuit on November 8, and if Fuji was any indication, Aston Martin’s Valkyrie may just be ready to make its mark on the podium.

Photos courtesy of Aston Martin by Drew Gibson