Le Mans Qualifying Report
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Le Mans Qualifying Report: Aston Martin Puts Both Valkyries into Hyperpole
Aston Martin enjoyed one of its most encouraging modern Le Mans qualifying days as both Valkyrie Hypercars progressed into Hyperpole at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Wednesday’s qualifying session did not decide pole position. Instead, it decided which cars would go forward to Thursday’s Hyperpole sessions, where the sharp end of the grid will be settled. But even at this stage, the session mattered. Around Le Mans, getting into Hyperpole is a statement: it shows pace, confidence and the ability to deliver when traffic, tyre preparation and pressure all come together.
For Aston Martin, the statement was clear. The Valkyrie is no longer simply trying to survive at Le Mans. It’s now fast enough to be part of the top-class qualifying conversation.
Alpine fastest, Ferrari and Peugeot miss out
The overall Hypercar headline belonged to Alpine. Ferdinand Habsburg put the #35 Alpine A424 at the top of the times with a 3:23.135, just 0.013 seconds clear of Louis Delétraz in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entry. Jordan Taylor was third for Cadillac WTR, with the leading BMW and the second Cadillac also inside a very close leading group.
The session also produced two major shocks. Last year’s winning #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P failed to make the top 15 and will not take part in Hyperpole. Peugeot also endured a painful evening, with both 9X8s missing the cut at its home event.
That means Thursday’s Hyperpole battle will go ahead without the defending Le Mans winner and without either Peugeot. In a category as strong as Hypercar, that shows how fine the margins have become.
Valkyrie proves Test Day pace was no one-off
Aston Martin arrived at qualifying with real momentum after Tom Gamble had topped Test Day in the #007 Valkyrie. The question was whether that pace would still be visible once the competitive sessions began. The answer was yes.
Tom Gamble struck early in the #007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie, putting in a 3:24.163 that briefly placed the car at the top of the Hypercar order. The official Le Mans coverage described the #007 as the car that “struck first”, and the timing screens showed the Aston Martin right at the front before the final runs dropped the times deep into the 3:23s.
That opening lap showed that Test Day hadn’t been a misleading one-off and that the Valkyrie had genuine speed over one lap. The commentary during the qualifying highlights also picked up the significance of the #007’s pace, noting that the Aston Martin wasn’t simply looking to scrape into Hyperpole, but had become a contender for top honours in the session.
The #009 Valkyrie then reinforced the message. Alex Riberas, Marco Sørensen and Roman De Angelis’ car was also right in the mix, and the two Aston Martins spent part of the session high up the order as other manufacturers tried to respond.
By the end, the #009 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie was seventh in Hypercar qualifying with a 3:23.777, while the #007 sister car was ninth on a 3:23.906. Both cars were safely into Hyperpole.
That’s a strong Aston Martin result. It’s not pole position and it’s not a race result, but it’s another clear marker of progress. After finishing fourth at Spa with the #007, topping Test Day at Le Mans, and now getting both Valkyries into Hyperpole, Aston Martin has built a much more convincing Le Mans week than it managed one year ago.
#009 and #007 both give Aston Martin options
The #009 result is particularly encouraging because that car has been looking for a complete weekend to match the promise of the programme. Seventh in such a tight Hypercar session gives the crew a platform to build from and keeps both sides of the Aston Martin THOR garage involved in Thursday’s shootout.
The #007, meanwhile, continues to feel like the car carrying the strongest momentum. Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble arrived from Spa with Aston Martin’s best FIA WEC Hypercar result so far, and Ross Gunn’s return for Le Mans adds further strength to the line-up. Gamble’s early qualifying pace again showed why the #007 is being watched so closely.
For Fuel the Passion, the key point is not that Aston Martin is suddenly the favourite. The Hypercar field is too deep and too competitive for that. The key point is that Aston Martin is now part of the fight. The Valkyrie has moved from being a fascinating new arrival to a car that rivals have to take seriously.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Vantage LMGT3: two Heart of Racing cars through
The Aston Martin story was also positive in LMGT3, although not perfect.
The class benchmark was set by Peter Dempsey in the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette, with Eric Powell second in the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang. But Aston Martin’s best GT result came from the #23 Heart of Racing Team Vantage AMR LMGT3, where Gray Newell delivered an excellent run to go third in class.
That was one of the standout Aston Martin performances of qualifying. The #23 car, shared by Gray Newell, Dudu Barrichello and Jonny Adam, is an important entry for the brand this year. Newell is making his Le Mans debut, Barrichello returns after gaining experience last year, and Adam brings serious Aston Martin pedigree as a two-time Le Mans class winner. To put that car third in LMGT3 qualifying is a strong start.
The #27 Heart of Racing Team Vantage AMR LMGT3 also made it through. Driven by Ian James, Zach Robichon and Mattia Drudi, the #27 car qualified eighth in class and safely progressed into Hyperpole. This is another key Aston Martin entry because Drudi put the Vantage on LMGT3 pole at Le Mans last year, and the same core crew finished fourth in class in 2025.
So Heart of Racing has both of its Vantages through to the next stage. That gives Aston Martin two shots at a strong LMGT3 starting position on Thursday.
Disappointment for Racing Spirit of Léman
The one disappointment from an Aston Martin perspective was the #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Vantage AMR LMGT3, which missed the Hyperpole cut.
The #59 car, driven by Clément Mateu, Marius Fossard and Valentin Hasse Clot, ended up 22nd in LMGT3 qualifying and will play no further part in the qualifying knockout. That doesn’t end its race prospects, because Le Mans is 24 hours long and LMGT3 is always unpredictable, but it does mean the Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin will start from further back than hoped.
That prevents this from being a perfect Aston Martin qualifying day. But with both Valkyries and both Heart of Racing Vantages safely through, the overall picture remains very positive.
FTP reading
This was a strong and confidence-building qualifying day for Aston Martin at Le Mans.
In Hypercar, both Valkyries made Hyperpole. The #007 showed early outright pace, the #009 delivered a strong final result, and Aston Martin proved again that its Le Mans progress is real. After a debut year built around learning and finishing, the Valkyrie is now showing enough speed to be talked about in the same breath as Cadillac, Alpine, BMW, Ferrari and Toyota.
In LMGT3, Heart of Racing kept Aston Martin firmly in the class fight. The #23 Vantage was an excellent third, the #27 also progressed, and both cars remain in the hunt for a strong starting position. The #59 Racing Spirit of Léman missing out is a shame, but it doesn’t undo the wider Aston Martin story.
The most important point is this: Aston Martin has gone into Le Mans week with momentum and has backed it up when the stopwatch mattered. Pole position will be decided in Hyperpole, and the race itself will be decided over 24 hours, not one lap. But Wednesday qualifying showed that both Valkyrie and Vantage have the speed to be taken seriously.
For Aston Martin fans, that makes Thursday’s Hyperpole session essential viewing.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.