US billionaire Woody Johnson acquires minor Aston Martin F1 stake

Aston Martin is set to begin testing an updated version of its Valkyrie hypercar for the 2027 World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship. The British manufacturer, along with its partner The Heart Of Racing, conducted an initial rollout of the updated Valkyrie at Hinton Airfield in the UK on Monday and Tuesday. A full-fledged test was held at Silverstone circuit on Wednesday, with works drivers such as Harry Tincknell seen driving the non-hybrid prototype.

The test car was painted in a semi-camouflage livery, featuring green, black, light blue and blue chequered patterns. Aston Martin labeled the test vehicle with the caption "Valkyrie – The Sound of Evolution," alluding to the naturally-aspirated V12 engine, which has become popular among motorsport enthusiasts. It remains uncertain what modifications have been implemented to the car since its championship debut in 2025, but team principal Ian James and Aston's senior management have previously stated that they would be leveraging evo joker upgrades to enhance aerodynamics and other aspects once sufficient data was gathered to identify areas for improvement.

Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing plan to continue testing the Valkyrie in Austin on September 9, as well as Aragon on September 15, before carrying out three additional days of testing at the Windshear wind tunnel between October and November. This data will be recorded for final homologation. Currently, Aston Martin is ranked sixth in the WEC manufacturers' standings, just one point behind Alpine, its more experienced rival.

In IMSA's GTP class, Aston Martin is positioned fifth and last, having campaigned only a single car. The Valkyrie faces increased competition in the WEC as Ford and McLaren prepare to join the fray, while Acura's departure is expected to leave only four manufacturers in IMSA's top class.