Aston Martin Valkyrie chases ninth straight WEC points finish at Barcelona debut
Aston Martin's Valkyrie hypercar heads to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Round 7 of the WEC, chasing a ninth consecutive points finish and fourth in the manufacturers' standings.
- 8
- 6th (54 points)
- 42
- 2nd (62 points)
What Happened
Aston Martin's Valkyrie hypercar will make its Spanish competition debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain, where the FIA World Endurance Championship hosts Round 7 of 8 at the 2.9-mile venue on Sunday. It is the first time in WEC history the Barcelona track has appeared on the season schedule. For the works Aston Martin THOR Team, it is the penultimate race of a season in which Valkyrie has finished in the points in every race.
Valkyrie arrives on a run of eight consecutive points finishes, including two fourth places in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. At Fuji Speedway three weeks ago both Valkyries started in the top six for the first time: the #007 of Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell led the race, while the #009 of Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen was in the podium hunt until the final Safety Car.
- 6th with 54 points
- 42 points ahead of Aston Martin
- 88
- #007: British duo Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell, who have finished in the points all but once in 2026
- #009: Alex Riberas (ESP) and Marco Sørensen (DEN), who head to Riberas's first home WEC race
- Both Valkyries started in the top six for the first time at Fuji Speedway
8consecutive
A ninth would come at Barcelona, a track new to the WEC calendar
“Going to Barcelona was the most amazing surprise of my season. Racing on my home track, in the city where I grew up, is a dream come true, and especially to do so in a hypercar with the Aston Martin THOR Team and the Valkyrie is something that never in a million years did I think would become a reality.”
The competition Valkyrie is developed from its road-going sibling by Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing, blending a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but is limited to 500kW (671bhp) under the WEC hypercar rulebook and IMSA's GTP regulations. Aston Martin notes Valkyrie is the only road-derived hypercar contesting both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA. Team Principal Ian James said the team focuses on execution and maximising opportunities through the final two races, while Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport Adam Carter said the car has performed as anticipated on circuits similar to Barcelona, which has a high-speed first sector and a low-speed final sector.
Previously from Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc
Aston Martin's Valkyrie returned to Road Atlanta for the IMSA Petit Le Mans finale, the scene of its first podium, while Vantage fought for the GTD title. At that same Road Atlanta event, Car Blanche took a maiden IMSA GTD Pro victory with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, the marque's third class win in the 10-hour classic.
- Aston Martin Valkyrie returns to Road Atlanta for IMSA Petit Le Mans finale
- Aston Martin Vantage GT3 wins Petit Le Mans GTD Pro as Car Blanche takes maiden IMSA victory
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc's official releases.
Why this matters
Barcelona hosts a WEC round for the first time ever, so every Hypercar team faces an unfamiliar track — a chance for Aston Martin THOR Team to gain ground with 88 points still available this season. For Spanish driver Alex Riberas, it is a first home WEC race; for the team and its rivals, it is a level-playing-field test of how quickly they find the performance window.
Terms in This Story
- Hypercar
- The top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, for high-performance prototype-style racing cars.
- LMGT3
- A WEC class for GT3-specification racing cars based on production models.
- GTP
- The top prototype class of the IMSA sports car championship in North America.
- Safety Car
- A course vehicle that slows the field and neutralises a race after an incident.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.