Aston Martin returns to Le Mans in 2025 with Hypercar

Aston Martin is set to make a grand return to Le Mans in 2025 with its new 'hypercar', currently in testing. The British carmaker's cars will be run by the Heart of Racing works team, joining a number of manufacturers who have returned to the World Endurance Championship with the introduction of the hypercar class. Two AMR-LMH Valkyries are set to compete in next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race last won by Ferrari's 499P car for two consecutive years. Aston Martin last won outright at Le Mans in 1959, and 2025 will mark its first attempt at the top-flight race since 2011.

In a move that sets them apart from many returning manufacturers, Aston Martin will also run its own factory chassis in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the US equivalent of the series that includes the 24 Hours of Daytona. Adam Carter, Aston Martin's Head of Endurance Motorsport, expressed his satisfaction with the Valkyrie's early test results, describing it as a “pure, cutting-edge racing machine”.

The hypercar class has led to a resurgence in sports car racing, allowing manufacturers to compete with various design philosophies under a “performance balance” that restricts the cars' power output. Competitors have the option of purchasing a customer chassis and integrating it with their own power units, or building a completely original factory chassis from scratch. This has led to an influx of manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari, Peugeot, General Motors, Lamborghini, Alpine, BMW and others joining the Toyota team, resulting in several unpredictable race results.

Produced by Aston Martin in partnership with Heart of Racing at a newly refurbished facility near Silverstone, the Valkyrie will feature a 6.5-litre V12 Cosworth engine. The sports car industry has attracted several Formula One drivers, including 2009 champion Jenson Button, who praised the cars as “more technically advanced” than those in F1. Current Aston Martin driver, two-time champion Fernando Alonso, has won Le Mans twice with Toyota, while former Aston driver and four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel tested a Porsche hypercar earlier in year.