Aston Martin is still considering a factory-backed Le Mans entry

Aston Martin has admitted that it is still interested in a Le Mans entry in the new Hypercar class. Boss Lawrence Stroll told TG.com: “I’m a racer. I have been all my life. Racing is in my blood and that’s why I’m here. I think we should be racing – as we are with GT3 and GT4 – in whatever category aligns with the message we are trying to deliver with Aston Martin. That messaging is ultra-luxury as it always has been, and now I’m bringing the high-performance technology to marry with that.”

When Aston first unveiled the bonkers Valkyrie AMR Pro concept back in 2018 the plan was for it to race in the 24hrs, but further developments to the new regulations surrounding the inclusion of IMSA prototype cars meant it pulled the plug and the ‘production’ AMR Pro was freed from not only road regs but also any limits imposed by motorsport governing bodies.

We use the word production in the loosest form of course – the Valkyrie is the most unhinged-looking production car the world has ever seen. The AMR Pro eventually had the ‘standard’ Valkyrie’s hybrid boost system removed to save weight, meaning it was left with a nice round 1,000bhp from its 11,000rpm 6.5-litre V12.

The Valkyrie would surely be the most likely entrant if Aston were to head back to the pinnacle of endurance racing though, and if it were to introduce a factory-backed team it also happens to have Le Mans winner Nico Hülkenberg as its current F1 reserve driver. He might be pretty handy. 

We’re speculating for now of course, but we’ll keep our ears to the ground and bring any updates as they come.