Silverstone
Max and Alex Drive The Valkyrie
February 18, 2020
Max Verstappen and Alex Albon got their first taste of the Aston Martin Valkyrie as the Formula One drivers got behind the wheel of the revolutionary hypercar at Silverstone Circuit.
The brainchild of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey and designed in collaboration with Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman, the 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 Valkyrie aims to bring Formula 1 levels of performance to the road and track.
And with development of the Valkyrie now entering its final phase, Max and Alex were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the game-changing hypercar.
As Aston Martin tested a trio of prototypes at the home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone.
Both Max and Alex opted to test the VP1 prototype in its striking Signature Pack Red Bull-inspired livery, first seen on the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 and featured on the Valkyrie at its first track test at Silverstone in July 2019.
And Max came away impressed by the Valkyrie’s performance, saying: “I was here at Silverstone to watch the first runs of the Valkyrie at the British Grand Prix last year but of course it’s always better to be behind the wheel yourself.
“To be one of the first guys to drive an insane car like this was really exciting. It was amazing to get a first taste of it,” said Max.
“Of course it’s still in the development phase but you can already feel the pace, which compared to a normal car is… pretty different!” he added.
“The Valkyrie and its levels of downforce are incredible, and it looks super aggressive. It was a lot of fun out there.”
For Alex, today’s Silverstone outing was a first opportunity to see the hypercar in the flesh, and he wasn’t disappointed.
“It was incredibly exciting to have this opportunity and the first thing that struck was the visual aspect – it looks awesome! It also really feels like a racing car,” said the Thai driver.
“Max had a go before me, so the anticipation was building, and to get a chance to drive it was really special and it feels really good.
“Obviously there’s still some development to do, but already it feels very good, especially the balance between the corners. It’s light; it feels sharp.
“Sure, compared to an F1 car, you’re missing the outright downforce, but you still feel the G forces in the corners and it definitely reacts closer to an F1 car than a normal road car.
“It’s pretty special. I just need to get my hands on one!”
The VP1 wasn’t the only Valkyrie on track as the VP2 and VP3 models also took to the circuit at the hands of Aston Martin test drivers Chris Goodwin, Darren Turner and Alex Lynn.
Looking back on the day Alex shared his thoughts on the Valkryie, representing a major achievement for both Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin.
“It’s a big achievement for Red Bull Advanced Technologies. Aston Martin have been very welcoming to the idea of a Formula One team working with a car manufacturer, and with Adrian’s help it’s very exciting to take the technology we have at the race track and bring it to the road.”
Aston Martin Valkyrie
Flight of the Valkyrie
July 13, 2019
Today Silverstone witnessed the first dynamic running of the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Piloted by Aston Martin high performance test driver Chris Goodwin, the 1,160 bhp hybrid hypercar, liveried with a stunning Red Bull-inspired design, wowed spectators who, until now, have only officially glimpsed the car on static display.
The run on the world-famous Silverstone circuit represents a design collaboration between Adrian Newey, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, and Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer, and is the result of a technical partnership between Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin.
The initial development phase was completed behind closed doors at Red Bull Advanced Technologies’ Milton Keynes facility, co-located with the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula One Team, and at Aston Martin Lagonda’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. On completion of the lap the Aston Martin Valkyrie leaves Silverstone to begin an extensive physical testing programme before the first of the 150 road-going cars are delivered to customers from Q4 2019.
Chris Goodwin said after the drive, “I’ve driven this car around Silverstone for countless hours on the simulator at Red Bull Racing’s HQ, so to finally drive the Aston Martin Valkyrie here today feels exceptionally special. We still have a lot of development work to do but we can now begin to really push the physical testing process and realise the true capabilities of the car.”
The car is a two-seater mid-engine hypercar, powered by a 6.5 litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine. The 150 road-going Aston Martin Valkyries are already sold out, with the first deliveries commencing in Q4 2019.
Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, said, “To see the Aston Martin Valkyrie running today, five years from the first moment I started sketching what it might look like, is very emotional. With the changing visual angles as it drives past and the noise, it is now doing what it is supposed to do, which is to move and be dynamic. It has been an enormous push from the team to get it running here today so this is also a special moment for them.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, said, “This first view is the result of a collaboration of design and development between Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin. The initial vision was to build a hypercar that would deliver the best in technological advancement and high performance and, together, we have achieved this. This public running is just the beginning of a remarkable story for this car.”
Aston Martin Lagonda President & Group CEO Andy Palmer added, “Today is a milestone in Aston Martin’s history and for our industry as a whole. Aston Martin Valkyrie continues to redefine what you and I recognise as a hypercar, possessing unrivalled levels of performance in a package that is technologically beyond anything else. While Chris’ demonstration today was not delivered at full speed, I’m sure the Valkyrie will return to deliver its full potential around this magnificent circuit in the near future.”
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, said, “We have created a truly unique, beautiful rear mid-engined hypercar in Aston Martin Valkyrie that represents the ultimate fusion of art and technology. I am incredibly proud of everybody at Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies to have the Aston Martin Valkyrie run for the first time in public at the British GP.”
As the World Endurance Championship (WEC) is set to begin a new hypercar era in 2020, with new regulations designed to allow race-prepared derivatives of the world’s fastest road cars, the forthcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie race car will draw on all the radical design elements of the road car.
