Alonso Tests Aston Martin Hypercar Designed by Newey

June 3, 2026

Formula 1 is experiencing an unexpected pause in its calendar, and Fernando Alonso took advantage of the break to return to the track with Aston Martin. The Spaniard took part in a test with the Valkyrie hypercar, a model developed for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and designed by Adrian Newey.

This five-week interruption in the F1 calendar was triggered by the conflict involving the United States and Iran, which led to the cancellation of races planned in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As a result, drivers were free to participate in tests and competitions outside the category during this period.

Alonso, who has a history across different motorsport categories, drove the Aston Martin Valkyrie LM, the car that will be used by the British team in both the WEC and the North American IMSA series. In a video released by the team, the model was described as the ‘definitive embodiment’ of a hypercar for Le Mans.

The two-time F1 world champion also shared footage of the test on social media: “Experience with Aston Martin on track. Great day and always good to relive the years with prototypes. Incredible experience and a fantastic sound,” wrote the Spaniard.

This Valkyrie LM car is the only street-legal hypercar-derived contender, a project originally created by Newey about ten years ago, when he was still at Red Bull Racing in partnership with the British manufacturer. According to Aston Martin’s endurance chief, Adam Carter, the car has always had a vocation for the tracks.

“It would be almost unimaginable that Adrian would design a car without thinking that it would race at some point,” Carter said during the model’s launch in February 2025, before Aston Martin’s debut in the Hypercar class of the WEC.

In the 2025 season, Aston Martin finished eighth in the Hypercar manufacturers’ championship, accumulating 24 points. The 2026 season will begin with the 6 Hours of Imola, signaling the continuation of the Valkyrie project.

Alonso has a winning track record in the WEC. Between 2018 and 2019, the Spaniard claimed the title with Toyota Gazoo Racing, alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, totaling five victories during the so-called ‘Super Season’.

Two of these triumphs came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, regarded as the most prestigious events on the calendar, in addition to victories at Spa-Francorchamps and Sebring. When he left the category as champion to return to Formula 1 in 2019, Alonso described his Le Mans victories as one of the high points of his career.

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Jake Thompson

Jake Thompson

I'm Jake Thompson, a motorsport journalist born and raised in North Carolina, where NASCAR weekends were basically family holidays. I’ve been covering everything from Formula 1 to rally raids for over a decade, blending sharp analysis with a fan’s heart. For me, writing about racing isn’t just a job — it’s the best seat in the house.

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