The Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar built a strong foundation from which to mount its 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign next month, placing fourth in the Total Energies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – its best result to date in the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC].

On its tenth appearance in WEC since making its debut in Qatar last year, the stunning British hypercar – in the hands of Tom Gamble (GBR) and Harry Tincknell (GBR) – crossed the line a mere five seconds behind the winner in a frantic and chaotic race that provided a grandstand finish; showcasing some of the best action that endurance motorsport has to offer.

The #007 Valkyrie, prepared and operated by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, brought itself into contention with two hours of the race to go, following clever strategic decisions and some spectacular overtaking by Tincknell. A timely Safety Car also allowed the team to top up with fuel and align its strategy with its rivals.

Tincknell delivered two brilliant passes in one lap, to go from tenth to eighth, and then when two more Safety Car periods occurred in the final hour, Gamble found himself in a five-car fight for second place. At the final restart he was lucky to avoid a spinning Alpine at Eau Rouge and then overtook a Toyota for fourth place in the last five minutes of the race in a breathless dash to the flag.

Gamble and Tincknell might have been joined in the points by the sister #009 Valkyrie driven by Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Alex Riberas (ESP), had it not suffered misfortune that caused the final Safety Car period. Both drivers ran strongly in the top ten and the duo were in prime position to capitalise on their rapid pace on soft tyres at the penultimate restart. But Riberas was given no option but to take to the grass on the high-speed Kemmel Straight as he attempted to pass the fifth placed car. The resulting spin forced him to retire from the race; an unjust reward for a brilliant performance.

The final result was not just Valkyrie’s best performance in WEC, it marked the #007 crew’s strongest race since the beginning of the programme and was the second consecutive points finish for the British duo. It means that Aston Martin holds fourth in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship, with Gamble and Tincknell ninth in the Drivers’ standings.

Valkyrie extended its points run to four races – having scored in Fuji (JPN) and Bahrain at the end of last year. Friday’s qualifying session also delivered a new high-water mark for Aston Martin THOR with both Valkyries making it into Hyperpole and placing sixth and seventh on the grid.

WEC now moves on to its Blue Riband event, the 94th running of the world’s biggest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 13-14 June, at which Valkyrie will aim to add to Aston Martin’s iconic 1959 overall triumph with Roy Salvadori (GBR), Carroll Shelby (USA) and the legendary DBR1 race car.

Harry Tincknell, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “It was an unbelievable race. I said to myself in the first stint, just stay calm and save the fuel because it will come back to us. This championship and this racing create amazing things at this track. It was epic racing. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys and girls in this team who have worked so hard and improved the car so much from this time last year to now. It really showed in the race today, we weren’t always super-fast but at other points we were lightning and we will learn a lot from this and take it into Le Mans. The main thing is we were strong in sectors one and three, which are the sectors that most resemble Le Mans so it’s exciting.”

Tom Gamble, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “I didn’t really expect that. With two hours to go we were P11 and I thought this is probably going to be a bit of an annoying race, with the strong pace we had; but then it all changed! Things panned out for us with the Safety Cars at the end of the race and we were able to move forward. I had a close call in that last dash to the flag, and I think my life flashed before my eyes at Eau Rouge when the Alpine went off in front of me. I was ten inches away from a monumental crash, and then my heart was racing for a bit. We managed to get past the Toyota with a nice clean move, and there was some fantastic racing at the end for second place. I’m so proud of the team, to be so close to the leader at the end of the race and to have finished in the points twice in a row, and so strongly, is a great morale boost going into Le Mans.”

Alex Riberas, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Overall for sure it was still a positive weekend, despite the outcome. We can see with the strong finish of the sister #007 car, almost being on the podium, we can be happy with the progress. I think in the end the feeling of the team is that we are confident going into Le Mans and we can be happy with the progress made and we are ready to take another step in a 24-hour race. I want to say thank you to the team for their hard work and for giving us such a fast car to race with.”

Marco Sørensen, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “We deserved a lot more. It was a bit unfortunate what happened in the last 20 to 30 minutes, which was not ideal, but we will come back from this. It was great to see the car was up there fighting. Right now, I’m a bit gutted with the result, and I am 100% sure that one of our two cars could have ended up on the podium today, and it’s a shame that we must wait longer for that first podium which we all really wanted. The team did a good job and the car was super-fast. We’ll come back at Le Mans and hopefully we can get a good result there.”

Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “What excitement, my heart rate was going up and down all day long. The Valkyries were duking it out inside the top ten all race. To finish fourth is fantastic for us, obviously a bit bittersweet with what happened to Alex. To get P4 for the 007 is just reward for all the hard work that’s gone into it. Tom’s been on fire all year, he’s been doing a stellar job in the IMSA GTD car, and I think he’s just proved what a star he is and that he belongs in this class. Going around the outside of the Toyota into Les Combes was a big move and he pulled it off well. The team did an amazing job. We gambled on soft tyres at the end and that’s why Alex was so much faster than the Alpine in front of him. From a fan’s perspective there isn’t a better form of racing on the planet right now and to have so many manufacturers in the top six is just testament to the quality of sportscar racing and how exciting it is.”

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “Finishing fourth in such a fiercely contested race as the 6 Hours of Spa is a good achievement and a great way for Aston Martin THOR Team to begin its preparations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month. Valkyrie was competitive all weekend at Spa, and we are very pleased for Harry and Tom who have worked hard and waited a long time to be rewarded with a strong finish. To be just five seconds behind the winner at the end of the race is a clear indication of just how competitive the sport is now, so it gives us plenty to be optimistic about ahead of a critical month in June.”

Aston Martin Vantage records first Spa podium of the World Endurance Championship LMGT3 class era

The Heart of Racing Team finishes second in the 6 Hours of Spa

Ian James, Zach Robichon and Mattia Drudi kickstart their world championship campaign with hard-fought Spa podium

17th WEC podium appearance at Spa for Aston Martin’s most successful racing car – the Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin’s most successful racing car – Vantage – finished second in the LMGT3 class of the Total Energies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, after a highly competitive performance from the Heart of Racing Team and drivers Ian James (GBR), Zach Robichon (CDN) and works driver Mattia Drudi (ITA).

The result re-ignited the team’s championship challenge, and made up for the disappointment of the opening round in Imola, where the crew retired from the race while in contention for another potential strong points finish.

James started on the front row of the class grid, having made it through to the Hyperpole session, which Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona poleman Robichon then used to convert into second place on the grid. James, who is also the team’s principal, ran in that position early in the race as he double-stinted to complete his driver time.

James eventually handed the car over to Robichon in sixth, following contact from a hypercar, but with only superficial damage, Zach moved the car back into a solid fourth place.

When the race was reset by a series of late-race Safety Car periods, it set the stage for a classic charge from Drudi who fought hard to get into the podium positions, finishing third on the road which was converted to second when the leader was given a five-second penalty for a pitlane infringement.

“To finish second was fantastic,” said James. “I did my part and Zach and Mattia did a wonderful job in the car, and the team was perfect all day long. To get to stand back on the podium is great too.”

Second place in Belgium marked the 17th appearance on the podium for a Vantage crew since 2012, with the British ultra-luxury high performance brand’s most successful racing car also having won its class five times in that period.

Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3, which triumphed at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa – the world’s most prestigious GT3-only event, is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.