FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is the global stage for modern sports-car endurance racing, built around long-distance events such as Spa, Fuji, Bahrain and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2026, WEC’s provisional entry list features 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 cars, with Aston Martin THOR Team running two Valkyrie Hypercars: #007 and #009. The Valkyrie is also noted on the FIA WEC entry list as the only Hypercar not using a hybrid system.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Behind the Scenes with Aston Martin The Heart of Racing
Aston Martin The Heart of Racing’s Road to Race | Season Two takes viewers behind the garage doors as the Valkyrie Hypercar programme moves into its second FIA World Endurance Championship season.
After a first year focused on learning, understanding the Valkyrie and improving race execution, the tone has clearly shifted. There’s more belief, more confidence and a growing sense that Aston Martin can now start challenging some of the world’s biggest manufacturers at the sharp end of endurance racing.
The film captures the human side of that journey: the drivers, engineers and mechanics working through testing, preparation, setbacks and race weekends, while continuing to refine the small details that can make a huge difference over six, eight or 24 hours.
With the Valkyrie showing encouraging progress at Spa and Le Mans now firmly on the horizon, this is a timely and fascinating insight into one of the most exciting Aston Martin racing programmes in years.
Watch the full film below and follow Aston Martin The Heart of Racing’s journey from preparation to performance.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
FIA World Endurance Championship - Season So Far
Aston Martin’s 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign now has genuine substance across both fronts: the Valkyrie Hypercar programme operated by Aston Martin THOR Team and Heart of Racing’s two-car Vantage AMR LMGT3 effort.
The season began at Imola, where the #007 Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble finished ninth to score Aston Martin’s first points of the year. The sister #009 of Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas finished 14th, while in LMGT3 the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage opened its campaign with ninth in class. The #27 reached the finish after a more difficult race but was classified 17th.
Spa-Francorchamps delivered the first major indication of the Valkyrie’s developing competitiveness. Tincknell and Gamble brought the #007 home fourth overall, just five seconds behind the winner after six hours, while the #009 finished 14th following a troubled race. In LMGT3, the #27 Vantage produced Heart of Racing’s first podium of the season by finishing second, with the #23 classified 13th.
Le Mans then provided the programme’s most important result to that point. The #007 finished eighth overall and in Hypercar, giving Aston Martin THOR Team a landmark top-ten result in the world’s greatest endurance race. The #009 also reached the chequered flag in 14th, ensuring both Valkyries completed the 24 Hours.
In LMGT3, the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage finished third at Le Mans, securing Aston Martin a superb class podium. The additional #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Vantage completed the race in 11th, while the #27 Heart of Racing entry, having led the class and remained in contention deep into the race, lost substantial time late on and was classified 18th.
São Paulo added another encouraging chapter for the Valkyrie programme. The #007 finished sixth and the #009 ninth, with both cars completing all 242 laps on the lead lap. It was Aston Martin’s first double-points Hypercar finish of the season, the #007’s fourth consecutive points result and the first championship points of 2026 for Sørensen and Riberas in the #009.
The LMGT3 weekend in Brazil was more frustrating. Kobe Pauwels placed the #23 Vantage on class pole, earning an additional championship point, but the car eventually finished 18th after a difficult race. The #27 Vantage remained involved in the midfield contest during the opening hours before finishing 13th.
COTA then produced one of Aston Martin’s strongest WEC weekends of the season. Harry Tincknell put the #007 Valkyrie at the top of both FP2 and FP3 before the car qualified fourth and remained firmly involved in the leading Hypercar battle throughout the Lone Star Le Mans. The #007 eventually finished fourth overall, just 9.045 seconds behind the winning Ferrari, while the #009 completed the full 167 laps in 14th.
The bigger breakthrough came in LMGT3. Heart of Racing locked out the front row in qualifying, with the #23 Vantage taking pole, before Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi delivered the #27 Vantage’s first victory of the season. Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello and Jonny Adam completed a superb weekend by bringing the #23 home third, giving Heart of Racing its best-ever 1–3 WEC finish and its first LMGT3 victory for two years.
After five rounds, Aston Martin remains sixth in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship but has increased its total to 52 points. Tincknell and Gamble are 11th in the Drivers’ Championship with 42 points, while Sørensen and Riberas remain on two. In LMGT3, COTA has transformed Heart of Racing’s championship position: the #23 has climbed to fourth in the Teams’ standings with 49 points, while the victorious #27 is now sixth with 44 points.
The current FTP reading is that Aston Martin’s WEC season has now moved beyond simply demonstrating potential. The Valkyrie has twice finished fourth, achieved a top-ten result at Le Mans, delivered a double-points finish in São Paulo and has now shown at COTA that it can run at the very front of the Hypercar field throughout an entire weekend. In LMGT3, podiums at Spa and Le Mans have now been followed by victory and a double podium at COTA.
The next objective is increasingly clear: turn the Valkyrie’s front-running pace into its first FIA WEC podium.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Lone Star Le Mans
Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas | 6 September 2026
COTA delivered one of Aston Martin’s strongest FIA WEC weekends of the season. After topping both FP2 and FP3, the #007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie finished fourth overall, just 9.045 seconds from victory. The sister #009 completed all 167 laps in 13th. In LMGT3, Heart of Racing converted a front-row lockout into a superb home result, with the #27 Vantage taking victory and the pole-winning #23 completing a double Aston Martin podium in third.
Hypercar — Top 3 + Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Team | Laps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | 167 | Lone Star Le Mans winner |
| 2 | #38 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | 167 | 4.471 seconds behind |
| 3 | #35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | 167 | 6.116 seconds behind |
| 4 | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | 167 | Just 9.045 seconds from victory |
| 13 | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | 167 | Lead-lap finish |
LMGT3 — Top 3 + Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Team | Laps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | 154 | LMGT3 winner |
| 2 | #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R | Manthey DK Engineering | 154 | 5.007 seconds behind |
| 3 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | 154 | Pole + double Aston Martin podium |
Championship Standings
Aston Martin focus with three rounds remaining in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Hypercar Manufacturers
| Pos | Manufacturer | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | 140 |
| 2 | BMW | 131 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 114 |
| 4 | Cadillac | 80 |
| 5 | Alpine | 66 |
| 6 | Aston Martin | 52 |
| 7 | Peugeot | 16 |
| 8 | Genesis | 12 |
Hypercar Drivers — Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | #007 | Harry Tincknell / Tom Gamble | 42 |
| 18 | #007 | Ross Gunn | 8 |
| 22 | #009 | Alex Riberas / Marco Sørensen | 2 |
| 24 | #009 | Roman De Angelis | 0 |
LMGT3 Teams — Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | #23 | Heart of Racing Team | 49 |
| 6 | #27 | Heart of Racing Team | 44 |
LMGT3 Drivers — Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | #23 | Gray Newell / Jonny Adam | 49 |
| 8 | #23 | Eduardo Barrichello | 46 |
| 9 | #27 | Ian James / Mattia Drudi / Zacharie Robichon | 44 |
| 24 | #23 | Kobe Pauwels | 3 |
Standings shown after Round 5 of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. The #23 Heart of Racing Vantage earned the LMGT3 pole position bonus point at COTA before finishing third in the race.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Round 05 – Vantage Wins at COTA as Valkyrie Fights to Fourth
Aston Martin delivered one of its strongest FIA World Endurance Championship weekends of 2026 at the Lone Star Le Mans, combining LMGT3 victory and a double Vantage podium with another fourth-place finish for the #007 Valkyrie Hypercar.
The Heart of Racing Team’s #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi claimed class victory, while Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello and Jonny Adam brought the sister #23 home third. In Hypercar, Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble finished fourth in the #007 Valkyrie, only 9.045 seconds behind the winning Ferrari, matching the car’s best FIA WEC result.
Hypercar: Valkyrie Shows Front-Running Pace Throughout the Weekend
The result followed an exceptionally encouraging build-up for Aston Martin THOR Team. Harry Tincknell had put the #007 Valkyrie fastest in both FP2 and FP3, his 1:52.174 in final practice standing as the fastest lap of the weekend at that stage. The sister #009 also showed competitive pace, finishing fifth in FP3. Tincknell then carried that speed into Hyperpole. His 1:52.495 secured fourth on the grid, just 0.050 seconds behind Antonio Giovinazzi’s pole-winning #51 Ferrari. Remarkably, the first four cars represented four different manufacturers and were separated by only five hundredths of a second.
Conditions added another dimension to Sunday’s race. A brief shower before the start required additional formation laps, while sporadic rain, two Safety Car periods and three Full Course Yellows repeatedly compressed the field and disrupted developing tyre and fuel strategies. The #007 remained firmly involved in the leading group from the opening stages. Aston Martin was one of only two Hypercar teams to spend much of the first half on the hard-compound Michelin tyre, and Gamble was running fifth after two hours as Ferrari, Cadillac, Alpine and Toyota fought over the lead.
As the race developed, the Valkyrie continued to battle inside an extraordinarily close top ten. Following the first Safety Car, less than ten seconds covered much of the leading group, with Gamble involved directly in the fight before the #7 Toyota and several rivals worked their way through on differing tyre strategies. The final hour produced a dramatic reshuffling. The #7 Toyota appeared set for victory until a hydraulic pressure problem with barely ten minutes remaining forced Nyck de Vries into retirement. That handed the lead to the #50 Ferrari of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, which went on to win ahead of the #38 Cadillac and #35 Alpine.
Through it all, the #007 remained in contention and crossed the line fourth overall after 167 laps, only 9.045 seconds from victory. It matched Valkyrie’s previous best WEC result at Spa, but this time came after a weekend in which the Aston Martin had demonstrated front-running speed from practice through qualifying and into the race itself. The sister #009 Valkyrie of Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas finished 13th, also completing all 167 laps. The car had run tenth after two hours but ultimately slipped outside the points during the second half of the race.
LMGT3: Heart of Racing Converts Pace into Victory
If the Hypercar performance demonstrated progress, Aston Martin’s LMGT3 weekend delivered the breakthrough result. Heart of Racing dominated Saturday’s Hyperpole session. Eduardo Barrichello put the #23 Vantage on pole with a 2:05.160, just 0.124 seconds ahead of Zacharie Robichon in the sister #27. It completed a third consecutive Aston Martin LMGT3 pole after Le Mans and São Paulo and gave Heart of Racing a complete front-row lockout.
The race itself was far less straightforward. Gray Newell lost the initial advantage in the #23 as the Proton Competition Ford Mustangs surged into the lead during the opening phase, while both Aston Martins remained within the main leading group. Ford’s challenge eventually weakened through penalties and incidents, but the #91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche emerged as another major threat, leading much of the middle phase of the race. A five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off track subsequently hurt the Porsche’s challenge and helped bring the #27 Aston Martin firmly back into contention.
Robichon produced two strong stints before handing the #27 to Mattia Drudi. Heart of Racing then executed a crucial strategic undercut, allowing Drudi to take advantage of fresh tyres and clean air and begin building a margin over the Porsche. There was an additional physical challenge for the Italian: the #27’s air-conditioning system stopped working, leaving Drudi to complete the closing phase in the intense Texan heat. Despite that, he maintained the pace required to control the race after the final Safety Car.
The #27 eventually crossed the line first after 154 laps, with the #91 Porsche finishing second and the sister #23 Aston Martin third. For Heart of Racing it was the team’s first LMGT3 victory for two years, its second Lone Star Le Mans win in three seasons and its best-ever 1–3 finish in FIA WEC. It was also the first WEC victory for Robichon and Drudi, while James added a second COTA win to his 2024 success. The #23 result created Aston Martin’s first double LMGT3 podium.
From Promise to Genuine Contention
COTA feels like an important marker in Aston Martin’s 2026 WEC campaign. The #007 Valkyrie didn’t simply inherit a strong finishing position. It topped two practice sessions, qualified within 0.050 seconds of pole and remained part of the leading Hypercar contest throughout six hours. Fourth place therefore carries rather more significance than the finishing position alone suggests.
Aston Martin leaves Texas sixth in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship with 52 points, while Tincknell and Gamble have moved to 11th in the Drivers’ standings on 42 points. The championship impact in LMGT3 is even greater. The #23 Heart of Racing entry has climbed to fourth in the Teams’ standings with 49 points, while victory moves the #27 to sixth on 44. Gray Newell and Jonny Adam are sixth in the LMGT3 Drivers’ standings, Eduardo Barrichello eighth and the James/Robichon/Drudi trio ninth.
The FTP assessment is consequently more positive than at any previous point this season. Vantage has now converted its repeated qualifying speed into victory, while Valkyrie has shown that it can fight amongst the fastest Hypercars across an entire race weekend.
For the Valkyrie programme, the next objective no longer feels distant or theoretical. The first FIA WEC podium is now the clear target.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Result Snapshot – Aston Martin Focus
The Hypercar and LMGT3 podium finishers, together with the final positions of Aston Martin’s two Valkyries and both Heart of Racing Vantages at the 2026 Lone Star Le Mans.
Hypercar
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | Laps | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Antonio Fuoco / Miguel Molina / Nicklas Nielsen | 167 | Lone Star Le Mans winner |
| 2 | #38 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | Earl Bamber / Sébastien Bourdais / Jack Aitken | 167 | Finished 4.471 seconds behind the winner. |
| 3 | #35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | António Félix da Costa / Charles Milesi / Ferdinand Habsburg | 167 | Completed the podium 6.116 seconds from victory. |
| 4 | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Harry Tincknell / Tom Gamble | 167 | Fourth overall – just 9.045 seconds from victory. |
| 13 | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Marco Sørensen / Alex Riberas | 167 | Completed the full race distance on the lead lap. |
LMGT3
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | Laps | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Ian James / Zacharie Robichon / Mattia Drudi | 154 | LMGT3 victory |
| 2 | #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R | Manthey DK Engineering | James Cottingham / Timur Boguslavskiy / Ayhancan Güven | 154 | Finished 5.007 seconds behind the Aston Martin. |
| 3 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Gray Newell / Eduardo Barrichello / Jonny Adam | 154 | Pole position followed by third – completing a double Aston Martin podium. |
Results shown for the 2026 Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas, FIA World Endurance Championship Round 05. Aston Martin entries are highlighted using the FTP Podium Green and AMR Lime colour palette.
FTP Summary Line
COTA delivered one of Aston Martin’s strongest WEC weekends of 2026, with the #007 Valkyrie finishing fourth overall just 9.045 seconds from victory, while Heart of Racing claimed LMGT3 victory with the #27 Vantage and completed a double podium with the #23 in third.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Round 04 - Valkyrie Delivers First Double-Points Finish in São Paulo
Aston Martin THOR Team achieved another important milestone in the development of the Valkyrie Hypercar at the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, with the #007 finishing sixth and the sister #009 taking ninth. Both cars completed all 242 laps on the lead lap, giving Aston Martin its first double-points Hypercar result of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
The LMGT3 side of Aston Martin’s weekend proved more frustrating. Kobe Pauwels placed the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage on class pole with a record-breaking Hyperpole lap, but neither Aston Martin converted its qualifying pace into race points. The #27 finished 13th in class, while the pole-starting #23 was classified 18th.
Hypercar: Both Valkyries Finish in the Points
The race began on a slightly damp Interlagos circuit, with the changing grip adding another challenge to an already closely matched Hypercar field. Cadillac led the opening phase, while BMW, Alpine and Ferrari pursued different fuel and pit-stop strategies at the front.
The two Aston Martin Valkyries settled into the top-ten contest during the opening hours. Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas in the #009 and Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble in the #007 were running eighth and ninth after two hours, keeping both cars firmly inside the points-paying positions as the strategies developed.
The #009 was involved in an early sequence of contact with the #8 Toyota, which subsequently required repairs after further contact with the #19 Genesis. Despite the incident, the Aston Martin continued without the lengthy delay suffered by the Toyota and remained involved in the midfield Hypercar battle.
The #007 encountered its own setback during the fourth hour. Gamble made contact with the #79 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 at Turn One, turning the Mercedes around and earning the Aston Martin a ten-second penalty. The punishment cost valuable time in a race where only seconds separated much of the Hypercar field, but the #007 remained within reach of a strong result.
As the final strategies unfolded, the #007 moved forward and recovered to sixth, finishing 35.566 seconds behind the winning BMW. The #009 crossed the line ninth, 45.523 seconds from the lead and only ten seconds behind its sister car. Both Valkyries remained on the same lap as the winner throughout the six-hour race.
Victory went to the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 shared by Kevin Magnussen, Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello. The #51 Ferrari AF Corse entry finished second, 2.254 seconds behind, with the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA completing the podium.
For the #007 crew, sixth place extended an impressive run of points finishes that began at Imola and continued through Spa and Le Mans. For the #009, ninth represented its first championship points of 2026 after a difficult opening three rounds.
LMGT3: Pole Position Brings Promise but No Race Reward
Aston Martin entered the race with a major qualifying achievement already secured. Gray Newell guided the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage into Hyperpole before Pauwels produced the fastest LMGT3 lap ever recorded at Interlagos to claim class pole in only his second FIA WEC appearance. It was Aston Martin’s 72nd pole position across the championship’s various classes, a series record and its sixth in LMGT3.
The advantage was quickly lost at the start. Newell appeared to misjudge the opening acceleration and was engulfed by the following pack, allowing the Iron Lynx Mercedes, Akkodis ASP Lexus and Proton Competition Fords to move ahead. The #23 therefore began its recovery from the midfield rather than controlling the race from the front.
The sister #27 Vantage enjoyed a steadier beginning. Ian James completed a long opening sequence of stints and kept the car within the busy midfield group before handing over to Zacharie Robichon. During the middle of the race, the #27 was involved in an entertaining battle with the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang and ran close to the leading five on the developing pit-stop sequence.
The #23’s race became more difficult after contact with the #83 AF Corse Ferrari. The Ferrari was handed a ten-second penalty for the collision, but the disruption contributed to the Aston Martin losing further ground in an exceptionally competitive LMGT3 field.
Neither Heart of Racing entry was able to recover into the points during the closing stages. The #27 of James, Robichon and Mattia Drudi finished 13th, completing 217 laps and ending two laps behind the class winner. The #23 of Newell, Pauwels and Jonny Adam finished 18th after 216 laps, three laps down.
Racing Team Turkey by TF claimed LMGT3 victory with its #34 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, driven by Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluç and Peter Dempsey. The #69 Team WRT BMW finished second, with The Bend Manthey’s #92 Porsche taking third.
Another Clear Step Forward for Valkyrie
São Paulo didn’t deliver the first Valkyrie podium Aston Martin continues to pursue, but it strengthened the evidence that the programme is progressing. The #007 overcame a penalty to finish sixth, the #009 scored for the first time this season and both cars completed the race on the lead lap.
The result lifts Aston Martin to 40 points in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship, only one behind fifth-placed Alpine. Tincknell and Gamble remain tenth in the Drivers’ standings with 30 points, while Sørensen and Riberas have opened their account with two.
The LMGT3 result was harder to accept. Aston Martin demonstrated genuine speed through Pauwels’ outstanding pole position, but the #23’s difficult start and subsequent contact left it unable to capitalise. The #27 ran competitively during parts of the race but also finished outside the points.
The FTP assessment is therefore encouraging for Valkyrie but mixed for Vantage. Aston Martin’s Hypercar campaign has now produced points at every completed round through the #007 and, for the first time in 2026, with both cars. The next objective is clear: convert that increasingly consistent top-ten pace into the programme’s first FIA WEC podium.
Result Snapshot – Aston Martin Focus
The Hypercar and LMGT3 podium finishers, together with the final positions of Aston Martin’s two Valkyries and two Heart of Racing Vantages at the 2026 Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo.
Hypercar
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | Laps | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Kevin Magnussen / Dries Vanthoor / Raffaele Marciello | 242 | São Paulo winner |
| 2 | #51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Alessandro Pier Guidi / Antonio Giovinazzi / James Calado | 242 | Finished 2.254 seconds behind the winner. |
| 3 | #12 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | Will Stevens / Norman Nato | 242 | Completed a closely fought Hypercar podium. |
| 6 | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Harry Tincknell / Tom Gamble | 242 | Fourth consecutive points finish despite a ten-second race penalty. |
| 9 | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Marco Sørensen / Alex Riberas | 242 | First championship points of the 2026 season. |
LMGT3
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | Laps | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #34 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Racing Team Turkey by TF | Salih Yoluç / Peter Dempsey / Charlie Eastwood | 219 | LMGT3 winner |
| 2 | #69 BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo | Team WRT | Anthony McIntosh / Parker Thompson / Daniel Harper | 219 | Finished 8.108 seconds behind the Corvette. |
| 3 | #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R | The Bend Manthey | Yasser Shahin / Riccardo Pera / Richard Lietz | 218 | Completed the podium one lap behind the winner. |
| 13 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Ian James / Zacharie Robichon / Mattia Drudi | 217 | Ran within the midfield contest but finished outside the points. |
| 18 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Gray Newell / Kobe Pauwels / Jonny Adam | 216 | Started from LMGT3 pole but endured a difficult race. |
Results shown for the 2026 Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, FIA World Endurance Championship Round 04. Aston Martin entries are highlighted in AMR green.
FTP Summary Line
São Paulo delivered Aston Martin’s first double-points Hypercar result of 2026, with the #007 Valkyrie sixth and the #009 ninth, while LMGT3 pole for the #23 Vantage went unrewarded and both Heart of Racing entries finished outside the points.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Round 03 - Le Mans Delivers Progress, Podium Joy and Pain for Aston Martin
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was the biggest FIA World Endurance Championship round of the season so far, and for Aston Martin it delivered the clearest picture yet of where both its Hypercar and LMGT3 programmes now stand.
In Hypercar, the #007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie finished eighth overall and eighth in class, giving the developing Valkyrie programme a landmark top-ten result at the most important endurance race in the world. The sister #009 Valkyrie also reached the chequered flag, finishing 14th overall after late drama and time lost in the pits.
That matters. After Imola gave the #007 its first WEC points and Spa delivered a breakthrough fourth-place finish, Le Mans confirmed that Aston Martin’s Hypercar effort is no longer simply about gaining mileage and learning. The Valkyrie still has work to do before it can fight for outright victory on pure race pace, but it now has a serious Le Mans result on the board.
The #007’s race was built on consistency, survival and execution. It was not a trouble-free cruise, but it was a mature endurance performance. In a field packed with Toyota, BMW, Ferrari, Cadillac, Alpine, Peugeot and Genesis entries, finishing inside the Hypercar top ten represents a significant step for Aston Martin THOR Team.
The #009 had a tougher race, particularly in the final stages, but bringing both Valkyries to the finish at Le Mans is still an important achievement. At this stage of the programme, every classified finish adds experience, data and confidence.
In LMGT3, Aston Martin’s race brought both celebration and heartbreak. The #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 finished third in class, giving Aston Martin a superb Le Mans podium and a major championship boost. It was a strong reward for Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello, Jonny Adam and the wider Heart of Racing crew.
The #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 also completed the race, finishing 11th in LMGT3. At Le Mans, simply reaching the chequered flag is never routine, and the #59 added another Aston Martin finish to the weekend.
The pain came with the #27 Heart of Racing Vantage. Having started from LMGT3 pole and led the class earlier in the race, the #27 remained a serious podium contender deep into Sunday. But after more than 21 hours of racing, late technical trouble ended its challenge on the Mulsanne Straight. It was a cruel reminder that Le Mans can still take away a result just when it seems within reach.
From a championship point of view, Le Mans was also highly significant. The 24 Hours carries the highest points scale of the WEC season, so the #007 Hypercar top-ten finish and #23 LMGT3 podium were not just emotional results, they materially changed Aston Martin’s championship picture.
Aston Martin leaves Le Mans sixth in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship on 26 points. In LMGT3, the #23 Heart of Racing Team entry has climbed to sixth in the teams’ standings on 32 points, while the #27 remains inside the top ten despite its late-race retirement.
The FTP reading is that Le Mans has moved Aston Martin’s WEC season into a stronger and more credible phase. The Valkyrie programme now has points at Imola, a near-podium at Spa and a top-ten finish at Le Mans. The Vantage LMGT3 programme has delivered podiums at Spa and Le Mans.
It was not a perfect weekend. The #009’s late issues and the #27’s heartbreak make that clear. But it was an important one. Aston Martin came away from the biggest race of the year with a Hypercar top ten, an LMGT3 podium, four cars reaching the chequered flag, and clear evidence that both the Valkyrie and Vantage programmes are moving in the right direction.
Result Snapshot – Aston Martin Focus
A quick look at the Hypercar and LMGT3 winners, podium finishers and where the Aston Martin entries finished at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Hypercar
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | Laps | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries | 381 | Le Mans winner |
| 2 | #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Robin Frijns / René Rast / Sheldon van der Linde | 381 | Hypercar podium, just 10.9 seconds from victory. |
| 3 | #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa | 381 | Completed Toyota’s double-podium result. |
| 8 | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Tom Gamble / Ross Gunn / Harry Tincknell | 379 | Landmark top-ten Hypercar finish for Valkyrie. |
| 14 | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Roman De Angelis / Alex Riberas / Marco Sørensen | 372 | Reached the flag after late drama and time lost. |
LMGT3
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | Laps | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | TF Sport | Ben Keating / Nicky Catsburg / Jonny Edgar | 336 | LMGT3 winner |
| 2 | #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 | Akkodis ASP Team | Tom van Rompuy / Hadrien David / Jack Hawksworth | 335 | Lexus podium after a strong LMGT3 race. |
| 3 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Gray Newell / Eduardo Barrichello / Jonny Adam | 335 | Superb LMGT3 podium for Aston Martin. |
| 11 | #59 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Racing Spirit of Léman | Clément Mateu / Marius Fossard / Valentin Hasse-Clot | 332 | Finished 11th in class and brought the Vantage home. |
| 18 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Ian James / Zacharie Robichon / Mattia Drudi | 291 | Late heartbreak after leading and fighting for a podium. |
Results shown for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA WEC Round 03. The #27 Heart of Racing Vantage is shown in its classified LMGT3 result position, but did not reach the chequered flag after stopping late in the race.
FTP Summary Line
Le Mans was Aston Martin’s strongest WEC statement of 2026 so far: a landmark Hypercar top-ten finish for the #007 Valkyrie, an LMGT3 podium for the #23 Vantage, both Valkyries home, and late heartbreak for the #27 after a brilliant podium fight.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Round 02 - TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
The second round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship delivered Aston Martin’s strongest Hypercar result so far, as the #007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble finished fourth overall in the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
BMW M Team WRT claimed a one-two finish at the front, with the #20 BMW winning ahead of the sister #15 BMW, while the #50 Ferrari AF Corse completed the overall podium. Just behind them, the #007 Valkyrie came home fourth, ahead of the #7 Toyota, in what official timing confirmed as a very closely packed finish at the front.
For Aston Martin, the #007 result was the story of the weekend. This was not simply a case of inheriting a finish through attrition. RACER reported that Tom Gamble passed Kamui Kobayashi’s #7 Toyota late in the race to secure fourth, giving the result proper competitive weight as well as championship value.
The margin also tells its own story. The #007 Valkyrie finished just 5.004 seconds away from the race-winning BMW and a little over two seconds from the podium. For a programme still early in its second WEC season, and still building race-by-race knowledge of the Valkyrie in Hypercar competition, Spa felt like a meaningful step forward.
The sister #009 Valkyrie had shown strong pace across the Spa weekend, including Marco Sørensen’s confidence-building qualifying performance, but its race ended in disappointment. The official classification lists the car as not classified after 136 laps, leaving Aston Martin with one standout Hypercar result and one reminder that consistency across both cars is still part of the next stage of development.
There was also a very strong Aston Martin result in LMGT3. The #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3, driven by Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi, finished second in class in the final classification. RACER reported that the #10 Garage 59 McLaren was promoted to the LMGT3 win after the #21 Ferrari received a five-second penalty, with the #27 Aston Martin classified second.
The second Heart of Racing entry, the #23 Vantage AMR LMGT3 of Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello and Jonny Adam, finished 13th in class. It wasn’t the result that side of the garage would’ve wanted, but with the #27 taking second, Spa still became Heart of Racing’s strongest WEC weekend of the season so far.
For Fuel the Passion, the wider reading is clear. Spa wasn’t a perfect Aston Martin weekend, but it was an important one. The Valkyrie now has a fourth-place WEC finish to its name, achieved at one of the world’s great endurance circuits and secured with a late on-track move against Toyota. Add in a second-place LMGT3 result for Heart of Racing, and Aston Martin heads towards Le Mans with its most encouraging WEC evidence of 2026 so far.
Result Snapshot – Aston Martin Focus
A quick look at the race winners, class podiums and where the Aston Martin entries finished at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Hypercar
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Robin Frijns / René Rast / Sheldon van der Linde | Race winner |
| 2 | #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Kevin Magnussen / Raffaele Marciello / Dries Vanthoor | BMW one-two |
| 3 | #50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Antonio Fuoco / Miguel Molina / Nicklas Nielsen | Final podium place |
| 4 | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Harry Tincknell / Tom Gamble | Best WEC finish yet for Valkyrie. |
| 5 | #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries | Passed late by the #007 Aston Martin. |
| NC | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Alex Riberas / Marco Sørensen | Not classified after late-race incident. |
LMGT3
| Pos | Car | Team | Drivers | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #10 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | Garage 59 | Antares Au / Tom Fleming / Marvin Kirchhöfer | LMGT3 winner after post-race penalty |
| 2 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Ian James / Zacharie Robichon / Mattia Drudi | Second in class for Aston Martin. |
| 3 | #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R | The Bend Manthey | Yasser Shahin / Riccardo Pera / Richard Lietz | Final class podium. |
| 4 | #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo | Vista AF Corse | François Hériau / Simon Mann / Alessio Rovera | First on road, dropped after penalty. |
| 5 | #34 Corvette Z06 GT3.R | Racing Team Turkey by TF | Ben McDonald / Jonny Edgar / Nicki Thiim | Top-five class finish. |
| 6 | #58 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | Garage 59 | Alexander West / Finn Gehrsitz / Benjamin Goethe | Second Garage 59 car. |
| 13 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Gray Newell / Eduardo Barrichello / Jonny Adam | Finished outside the points. |
FTP Summary Line
Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Hypercar programme delivered its best FIA WEC result yet at Spa, with the #007 car finishing fourth overall, while Heart of Racing added a second-place LMGT3 finish with the #27 Vantage AMR LMGT3.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Round 01 - 6 Hours of Imola 2026
The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship opened at Imola with Toyota taking overall victory in Hypercar. The #8 Toyota Racing GR010 Hybrid of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa won the six-hour race, ahead of the #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi. The #7 Toyota completed the Hypercar podium.
For Aston Martin, Imola was not a breakthrough result, but it was a meaningful opening step for the Valkyrie Hypercar programme. The #007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble finished ninth overall and ninth in Hypercar, one lap down, scoring the programme’s first WEC points. The sister #009 Valkyrie of Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen finished 14th overall, also one lap down.
The #007 result mattered because it gave Aston Martin something solid to build from at the very first round. Heart of Racing’s own post-race notes recorded that the #007 car started 12th, reached as high as seventh, completed 212 of 213 laps, and ran in the top ten for much of the race before finishing ninth. Tom Gamble described it as a “pretty positive start to the season” and said the team was “night-and-day better” compared with where it had been at Imola the previous year.
The #009 car had a more complicated lead-in to the weekend. After an incident in the Tuesday prologue, the crew prepared a new chassis in time for Friday practice. In the race, Riberas and Sørensen started 14th, finished 14th, reached a highest position of 10th, and completed the same 212 laps as the sister Valkyrie. Sørensen felt there were positives to take despite the result, while Riberas pointed to Imola not being the best circuit for the car but still described the weekend as a significant step forward.
In LMGT3, Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 entries had a mixed afternoon. The #23 car of Gray Newell, Kobe Pauwels and Jonny Adam finished ninth in class, scoring two championship points after Adam moved into the top ten in the final hour. The #27 car of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi was classified 17th after a suspension failure forced an early retirement, having run as high as eighth.
From a Fuel the Passion perspective, Imola was best understood as a measured but encouraging start. The Valkyrie did not yet look like an outright Hypercar contender, but the #007 reached the points on merit, the #009 recovered from a difficult build-up to complete the race, and the #23 Vantage added further points in LMGT3. The story here is not triumph; it is credibility, mileage and early progress in a programme that still needs time to mature.
Result Snapshot – Aston Martin Focus
A quick look at the overall podium and where the Aston Martin entries finished at the opening completed round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Hypercar
| Overall Pos | Class Pos | Car | Team | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Hypercar | #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Racing | Overall winner |
| 2 | 2 Hypercar | #51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | +13.352s |
| 3 | 3 Hypercar | #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Racing | Overall podium. |
| 9 | 9 Hypercar | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | First WEC points for the Valkyrie programme. |
| 14 | 14 Hypercar | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | Finished after prologue chassis change. |
LMGT3
| Overall Pos | Class Pos | Car | Team | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 9 LMGT3 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Two championship points. |
| 41 | 17 LMGT3 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | Suspension failure; classified after 146 laps. |
FTP Summary Line
Aston Martin’s WEC season began with a measured but useful result at Imola. The #007 Valkyrie scored the programme’s first WEC points with ninth in Hypercar, the #009 reached the finish after a disrupted build-up, and the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage added points in LMGT3. It was not a headline breakthrough, but it was a credible first step.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.