After strong start to 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship
Aston Martin THOR Team seeks to build on strong start to World Endurance Championship season with Valkyrie Hypercar
British hypercar pursuing sixth consecutive WEC points finish, in Brazil
British duo Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble aim to continue points-finishing streak with the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie
Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen return to #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie target first points of the season in Brazil
Valkyrie the only road-derived hypercar to contest world’s two premier sportscar series, the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA
The FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] resumes this weekend with the 6 Hours of São Paulo, as Aston Martin’s stunning Valkyrie Hypercar seeks to build on an impressive start to the 2026 season with more points finishes, on its second visit to Brazil.
The British hypercar, prepared and operated by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, is amidst its second WEC season in 2026. And after achieving its best 24 Hours of Le Mans finish when Tom Gamble (GBR) and Harry Tincknell (GBR) placed eighth in the famous French race last month, Valkyrie is riding high on a consistent run of points finishes which stretches back five races to last year’s 6 Hours of Fuji, in September.
Indeed, British duo Tincknell, a double 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, and former European Le Mans Series champion Gamble, have finished in the points at every race in 2026. Meanwhile their team-mates, multiple WEC and IMSA GT class race-winner Alex Riberas (ESP), and triple WEC GT champion Marco Sørensen (DEN), who achieved points finishes (Drivers’ or Manufacturers’) on three occasions in 2025, are seeking to kickstart their WEC campaign after a series of misfortunes in the first three races of the year.
The postponement of March’s scheduled WEC first round in Qatar – now planned for 22-24 October – meant the season started later than usual in mid-April, in Italy, and means that the Interlagos race constitutes Round 4 of the championship. The circuit proved to be the trigger for a positive swing in performance during Valkyrie’s debut season, and with a year’s understanding under its belt, the Aston Martin THOR team heads into the event with renewed confidence.
The competition variant of Valkyrie – the pure racing expression of the world’s ultimate road-going hypercar – is developed from its production sibling by Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing [THOR] and blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 powerplant that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680bhp) power limit as per the WEC’s hypercar rulebook and IMSA’s GTP regulations.
Harry Tincknell, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “It was good to have another points-scoring finish at Le Mans, and we head into São Paulo with a lot of confidence. Looking back to last year, this was the race that our season turned on and we were starting to show points-scoring potential. Going back this year we’re a completely different proposition and I’m looking forward to fighting for more points. Brazil has a huge racing heritage and it’s an iconic track. It doesn’t play to all of our strengths because there are a lot of low and medium speed corners, rather than high-speed sections, and it’s relatively bumpy, but the car seems to run well there. We’ve taken big steps since 2025 and learned a lot on set-up, so I’m hopeful for another good race.”
Tom Gamble, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “I’m looking forward to heading back to Brazil for the next round of WEC. We’ve had a solid start to the season with points finishes in each race, so the plan is to keep that up. The team have been working hard and progressing a lot so it would be amazing to clinch the Valkyrie’s first podium this weekend.”
Alex Riberas, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Very much looking forward to Brazil as always. It’s one of my favourite events of the year. I love Interlagos and I love São Paulo. I think it’s a track that suits the Valkyrie. We realised that last year when we arrived and I think everyone in the team was surprised by the step forward that we had made after Le Mans. I cannot see a reason why we would not be able to do that this year. Obviously, Le Mans took a huge effort for everybody and the bittersweet feeling that we got on the #009 car makes us hungrier for more, so there is no better place than Brazil to come back with vengeance and deliver a strong performance.”
Marco Sørensen, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Racing in Sao Paulo is always special. The passion of the fans and the character of the circuit make it one of the most exciting events on the calendar. I’m excited to be going back, especially since it was the circuit where we started to show some of the pace the car has, and it will be interesting to see how much further we have come since then.”
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “Brazil is an interesting race, because it throws up lots of opportunities, being quite a short track and with so many cars on it. This means that we must be in front of any potential situation and be able to take advantage as much as possible, and that will be down to calm efficiency and sharp execution by everyone in the team. Valkyrie has come a long way in 12 months in terms of how we extract the performance from it, and this time last year was when we started to make strides forward in terms of our position in the pack. The target for Sao Paulo has to be two cars in the points and fight hard for whatever else might be achievable.”
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “Valkyrie is now a consistent points finisher and achieved its best 24 Hours of Le Mans finish last month with the #007 finishing eighth. We believe there is more to come from the car and the team as we move into the middle part of the season, and on to tracks that are likely to suit the strengths of Valkyrie. There are a lot of low and medium speed corners in Brazil but we found that the car reacted reasonably well to Sao Paulo last season, and with the better understanding of the car and team, and a data set to work with, it will be interesting to see where we stand this weekend, 12 months on.”
Aston Martin Vantage claims maiden DTM victories and targets more success in WEC and IMSA
Aston Martin Racing partner team Comtoyou Racing achieves maiden double-victory for Aston Martin in the prestigious DTM series
Nick Thiim leads the DTM Drivers’ Standings after perfect weekend at Norisring with two pole postions and two wins
The Heart of Racing Team returns to WEC LMGT3 action with revised two-car Vantage driver line-up for Sao Paulo
Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy winner Kobe Pauwels stands in for Dudu Barrichello in the #23 THOR Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Barrichello to defend IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD points lead at CTMP alongside former class champion Roman De Angelis
24 Hours of Le Mans podium finishers Jonny Adam and Gray Newell join Pauwels in #23 Vantage
Team principal Ian James teams up with Le Mans pole winner Mattia Drudi and former IMSA GTD champion Zach Robichon in the #27 Vantage
IMSA debutant podium finishers Car Blanche, run by YRB Racing, step up to GTD Pro class with Valentin Hasse Clot and Scott Andrews
Aston Martin’s most successful racing car, Vantage, recorded its maiden victory in the prestigious DTM all-GT3 series at the Norisring, Germany, last Saturday, before promptly following it up with another the next day, in Race 2 of the double-header round at the Bavarian circuit.
Works driver Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Belgian partner team Comtoyou Racing produced a flawless weekend, recording the brand’s third and fourth DTM pole positions before going on to win both hour-long races with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
"This has been an amazing weekend for me, one of the best of my life,” said Thiim. “It has been my career goal to bring the Thiim family name back to the top of the DTM, since my father Kurt won in 1992.
“Now I am winning in the DTM myself with Aston Martin, and Vantage; two iconic names which are so close to my heart. It’s an emotional feeling and one I just don’t want to go away! Comtoyou Racing has prepared an amazing car, and the Vantage is really showing its strengths in the championship now, and to achieve all this at the Norisring – my favourite circuit – just makes it all the more special.”
Comtoyou Racing is a valued partner team of AMR. Since it started racing Aston Martin Vantages in 2024, the team has enjoyed huge success, including that 24 Hours of Spa overall win – the first for Aston Martin in the GT3 era – and last year claimed the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Drivers’ and Teams’ Silver Cup with AMR Driver Academy winners Jamie Day (GBR) and Kobe Pauwels (BEL).
It has led the charge for Aston Martin in the DTM and following the Norisring success, is now a firmly established front-runner in the series. Indeed, with his two pole positions and wins, as well as another pole, a second and a fourth at the Lausitzring in June, Thiim now leads the drivers’ championship by nine points at the halfway stage.
DTM is unique among the various GT3-FIA homologated premium GT series. The largely German-based championship, which also hosts events at Austria’s Red Bull Ring and Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, places a premium on hour-long double-header sprint races, with cars allocated to one driver, rather than the more traditional system of shared cars in GT racing.
Historically Germany’s most popular racing series, with a prestigious legacy dating back more than 40 years, and its impetus on fast, technically advanced and powerful racing cars, it has always attracted some of the best of the world’s driving talent. With more than half a million fan attendances in 2025, and a 16-race, eight round championship, Aston Martin competes against cars from no less than six other major manufacturers.
“Our sincere congratulations and thanks go to the Comtoyou Racing team,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter. “The DTM is a fierce and evenly-matched championship, and one which features the majority of our traditional rivals in the marketplace. These breakthrough victories are a standout moment in the legacy of Vantage and serve as clear statement to the qualities and performance level of Aston Martin’s most focussed sportscar. It’s fitting that these accolades should fall on Nicki Thiim’s shoulders, his service to the brand has been outstanding over the past decade and he thoroughly deserves to revel in this moment. May there be many more!”
Now AMR’s Vantage teams will look to replicate this success as they returns to action in the world’s two foremost sportscar racing series, the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] – the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo (BRA); and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park [CTMP] in Canada, on 10-12 July.
As usual, the Heart of Racing Team [THOR] brings two ultra-strong Aston Martin Vantage GT3s to the iconic Interlagos circuit, having achieved the team’s second WEC podium finish of the season in last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #23 THOR lineup of Gray Newell (USA), Dudu Barrichello (BRA) and Jonny Adam (GBR) which finished third at La Sarthe, is slightly altered with the Brazilian missing his home race to defend his IMSA GTD points lead with THOR at CTMP. His place will be taken in the squad by Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy graduate Kobe Pauwels (BEL).
The sister #27 car, which finished second in Round 2 of WEC – the 6 Hours of Spa – in May, will be driven by THOR team principal Ian James (GBR), who races alongside works driver and double 24 Hours of Le Mans polesitter Mattia Drudi (ITA), and the 2021 IMSA GTD champion, 2023 European Le Mans Series LMGTE title winner, and polesitter at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, Zach Robichon (CAN).
Vantage has a strong record at Interlagos where it took the LMGT3 class pole and then famously finished on the podium last season with Racing Spirit of Léman. In six years, Vantage has recorded three class wins and four runner-up finishes at the Brazilian Grand Prix venue.
Aston Martin’s record at CTMP is equally strong, with two GTD class victories from the past five races at the circuit historically known as Mosport. Both those wins were achieved by IMSA Aston Martin Valkyrie GTP driver and 2022 IMSA GTD champion Roman De Angelis (CAN) who joins Barrichello again this weekend.
Stepping up to the GTD Pro class this weekend is the #68 Car Blanche entry, run by the new YRB Racing team – which recorded an extraordinary GTD class debut podium on its first IMSA weekend at Watkins Glen, last time out. One of the stars of that performance, works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA) will make his GTD Pro class debut with the team alongside Scott Andrews (AUS) who joins the team for CTMP.
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3, is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
