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 story now has real substance across both fronts: the Valkyrie Hypercar programme with Aston Martin THOR Team, and the Vantage AMR LMGT3 effort led by Heart of Racing.
The opening completed round at Imola gave the Valkyrie programme an important early marker, with the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble finishing ninth and scoring its first WEC points of the season. The sister #009 Valkyrie, driven by Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas, finished 14th after a more difficult weekend, but both cars gained valuable mileage as the programme continued to build.
Spa-Francorchamps then delivered the first major sign of momentum. The #007 Valkyrie finished fourth overall, Aston Martin’s best FIA WEC result with the Valkyrie at that point, and came home only a few seconds from the overall win. The #009 also showed encouraging pace, but late trouble meant it was not classified, keeping the weekend in perspective despite the headline progress.
Le Mans has now added the most important chapter of the season so far. The #007 Valkyrie finished eighth overall and eighth in Hypercar, giving Aston Martin THOR Team a landmark top-ten result at the biggest endurance race in the world. The #009 also reached the chequered flag, finishing 14th overall after late drama and time lost in the pits. For a developing Hypercar programme, both Valkyries finishing Le Mans again, this time with a stronger result at the front end, is a significant step.
In LMGT3, Heart of Racing’s campaign has also moved forward. At Imola, the #23 Vantage AMR LMGT3 scored points with ninth in class, while the #27 showed pace before retiring. Spa brought a much stronger reward for the #27 crew, with a second-place LMGT3 finish after a post-race penalty reshuffled the class result.
Le Mans then delivered both joy and heartbreak. The #23 Heart of Racing Vantage AMR LMGT3 finished third in class, giving Aston Martin a superb LMGT3 podium at the 24 Hours. The #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Vantage also completed the race, finishing 11th in class. The #27 Heart of Racing Vantage had led the LMGT3 field and remained in podium contention, but suffered late technical trouble after more than 21 hours of racing.
After Le Mans, Aston Martin sits sixth in the FIA Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship on 26 points. In Hypercar drivers, the #007 pairing of Tincknell and Gamble is now 10th on 22 points, with Ross Gunn also scoring from his Le Mans appearance. In LMGT3, the #23 Heart of Racing Team entry has climbed to sixth in the teams’ standings on 32 points, while the #27 sits 10th on 19 points.
The current FTP reading is that Aston Martin’s WEC season has moved from promise to genuine progress. The Valkyrie is still not yet fighting for outright victory every weekend, but it has now scored at Imola, challenged strongly at Spa, and delivered a top-ten finish at Le Mans. In LMGT3, the Vantage has already claimed podiums at Spa and Le Mans. The next challenge is consistency: turning these strong individual results into sustained championship momentum over the second half of the season.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
24 Hours of Le Mans
Circuit de la Sarthe | 13–14 June 2026
Le Mans delivered Aston Martin’s most significant FIA World Endurance Championship result of 2026 so far. The #007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie finished eighth overall and eighth in Hypercar, both Valkyries reached the chequered flag, and the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage AMR LMGT3 claimed a superb class podium. There was also heartbreak, with the #27 Vantage suffering late trouble after running strongly in the LMGT3 battle.
Hypercar — Top 3 + Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Team | Laps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Racing | 381 | Le Mans winner |
| 2 | #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | 381 | Hypercar podium |
| 3 | #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Racing | 381 | Hypercar podium |
| 8 | #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | 379 | Landmark top-ten finish |
| 14 | #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie | Aston Martin THOR Team | 372 | Reached the flag after late drama |
LMGT3 — Top 3 + Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Team | Laps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | TF Sport | 336 | LMGT3 winner |
| 2 | #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 | Akkodis ASP Team | 335 | LMGT3 podium |
| 3 | #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | 335 | Le Mans podium |
| 11 | #59 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Racing Spirit of Léman | 332 | Finished 11th in class |
| 18 | #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | 291 | Late heartbreak after podium fight |
Championship Standings
Aston Martin focus after Le Mans, with the higher-value 24-hour points now included in the FIA WEC tables.
Hypercar Manufacturers
| Pos | Manufacturer | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | 132 |
| 2 | BMW | 96 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 62 |
| 4 | Alpine | 38 |
| 5 | Cadillac | 32 |
| 6 | Aston Martin | 26 |
| 7 | Peugeot | 15 |
| 8 | Genesis | 6 |
Hypercar Drivers — Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | #007 | Harry Tincknell / Tom Gamble | 22 |
| 13 | #007 | Ross Gunn | 8 |
| 20 | #009 | Alex Riberas / Marco Sørensen | 0 |
| 21 | #009 | Roman De Angelis | 0 |
LMGT3 Teams — Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | #23 | Heart of Racing Team | 32 |
| 10 | #27 | Heart of Racing Team | 19 |
LMGT3 Drivers — Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | #23 | Gray Newell / Jonny Adam | 32 |
| 10 | #23 | Eduardo Barrichello | 30 |
| 14 | #27 | Ian James / Mattia Drudi / Zacharie Robichon | 19 |
Standings shown after Round 3 of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. The #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 finished Le Mans 11th in class, but does not currently appear in the FIA WEC LMGT3 Teams Trophy standings, so Fuel the Passion is not claiming championship points for that entry unless the official standings are updated.
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.