Image via Aston Martin
Aston Martin closed its first season in the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class having exceeded its own expectations for the debuting Valkyrie LMH. The manufacturer entered 2025 with parallel campaigns in both the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, fielded by The Heart of Racing team. Despite starting the year with limited testing, the program advanced at a pace that surprised even its most experienced drivers.
Factory driver Tom Gamble characterized the season as one in which the team “overachieved,” while teammate Harry Tincknell—deeply involved in the car’s development through Multimatic—remarked on how consistently the program climbed. Tincknell, a two-time class winner at Le Mans, noted that the team’s performance strengthened at every round, resulting in a breakthrough podium at Petit Le Mans and another contending effort at Fuji.
The upward trend stood out in a category where new entrants often navigate uneven progress. While major in-season changes are restricted under Hypercar homologation rules, Aston Martin found meaningful gains through smaller evolutions. According to the team, improvements centered on mechanical setup refinements, expanded understanding of the car’s behavior, and steady software development. Upgrades to systems like differential braking contributed to drivability and consistency, allowing drivers to push with more confidence.
With aerodynamic and suspension components locked for the season, most advancement emerged from learning the car’s characteristics in real time. The team entered the campaign with comparatively minimal track time, making each event a critical data-gathering opportunity. That process, Aston Martin believes, set the foundation for its late-season competitiveness.
Looking to 2026, Tincknell sees a realistic path toward race-winning form. With continued winter development and the momentum built across both series, he expects the Valkyrie LMH to contend regularly at the front. The team views the car not only as a fan favorite but as a fully capable challenger entering its second year, confident that sustained effort could translate into victories in the upcoming season.
About the Author
