Adrian Newey's Aston Martin goes record-breaking

Adrian Newey, the most eminent aerodynamicist in the history of Formula 1, had free time when he was at home Red Bull... So, between the creation of world champion single-seaters, the Englishman has devoted himself to the design of a supercar: theAston Martin Valkyrie

To say the least, when the British mind takes on a four-wheeled object, it seems incapable of making it an average work. Thus, each of its creations pushes boundaries, humiliates competitors, and forces Wikipedia authors to rewrite the record tabs. Unsurprisingly, the Aston Martin Valkyrie confirms these claims.

Since the success of the Top Gear show, the Dunsfold Aerodrome circuit in the United Kingdom has become the benchmark for the performance of road sports cars, all driven by the famous Stig. Thus, like the Nürburgring times, albeit to a lesser extent, The results of the sports cars on the English track are carefully scrutinized by enthusiasts, and a great time becomes a means of communication for brands.

Finally put to the test, the Aston Martin Valkyrie more than lived up to expectations. By setting a stunning lap of 1'09"06, the English car moved to the top of the scoreboard for production cars – it dethroned the Koenigsegg Jesko Attack, 1,3 seconds behind (!) – and in the process allowed itself to overtake track-only vehicles such as the Ferrari FXX or the Caparo T1.

A mock road car 

From a technical point of view, the Valkyrie is much closer to a racing car than a road car. The real feat lies in this, having been able to respect the homologation constraints while optimizing performance. Thus, the English engineer played with compromises, and we find in the beast technologies that he masters perfectly: pushrod suspensions, ultra-light carbon monocoque chassis, radical aerodynamics with optimized ground effect, massive use of titanium to reduce weight – the car weighs only a small ton – but also… turn signals. In short, after smashing the record at your local track, you have the opportunity to stop and get some bread with your toy. That said, your second mission will be much more complex than the first.

Under the hood, the English car hides a naturally aspirated 12-liter V6,5 developed by Cosworth, capable of revving to over 11 rpm (000 horsepower) coupled with an electric motor (1014 horsepower) for a combined power output of 162 horsepower. Enough to wake up the neighbors, then the neighbors' neighbors, and even more since Aston Martin was forced to integrate noise-cancelling headphones for the driver and his passenger so that the rides would not be unduly taxing on the ears. Once again, complicated for the bakery...

The hunt has begun

 

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The Aston Martin Valkyrie was completed in 2021. Limited to just 150 units, there's no point in mentioning its price; they're no longer available since all of them have been sold (around 2,5 million for those curious).

So, while homologation technically allows the Valkyrie to be driven on open roads, everything about it betrays its true nature, that of a racing car in search of every last tenth on circuits. Aston Martin began this quest at Silverstone last November when the Gaydon native smashed the circuit record for a homologated car. 1'56″42, that's the time set by driver Darren Turner, 10 seconds faster than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR and 13 seconds faster than a McLaren Senna, yet two very sharp objects. Even crazier, Adrian Newey's work proved faster than the 2024 British GT Championship pole position set by a Lamborghini Huracán Evo GT3.

Most recently, it was the Top Gear track that suffered the wrath of the Englishwoman, who seized the record and, in theory, should hold it for a good while. Note that cheating is never part of the game since these blistering times are achieved with tires that are also approved for the road.

So, after these exploits, the Valkyrie is now expected at the ultimate test: the Nürburgring. On the Green Hell, the challenge will be of a very different magnitude since the competition is of a different caliber: the Mercedes AMG ONE. The German driver clocked a stunning time of 6:29. To be continued...

 

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However, the English brand should hardly concentrate on this feat since since the start of the 2025 season, it has joined the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and its American cousin (IMSA) with its LMH version (image above). A new feat, it is the only Hypercar on the grid to respect the philosophy of the first regulations, before they were modified, that is to say to be a racing car derived from a road car, like the McLaren F1 GTR, Porsche 911 GT1 and Mercedes CLK GTR of the time. Above all, it is the only WEC prototype not to have a hybrid system.

If the beast's debut during the The first round of the WEC in Qatar was complicated, his results at Sebring in IMSA were encouraging. To 24 Hours of Le Mans, there is a good chance that the roar of the V12 will capture the hearts of the public... Until now held by the raucous voice of the V8 of the Cadillac V-Series.R. See you from June 11 to 15 on the Sarthe circuit!