- Aston Martin Valkyrie qualifies third overall for 6 Hours of Fuji
- Aston Martin THOR Team achieves best qualifying performance of the FIA World Endurance Championship season in Japan
- Valkyrie in fight for maiden podium finish after demonstrating impressive pace all weekend at Fuji Speedway
- Three-time FIA WEC GT champion Marco Sørensen qualifies fastest with #009 Valkyrie before placing third in the ‘Hyperpole’ session
- Harry Tincknell sets free practice pace with #007 Valkyrie
- Valkyrie the only ‘Hypercar’ to contest the world’s two premier sportscar series, IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship
- Aston Martin honoured to be a pillar brand in WEC’s 100th race history, having participated in every round since its inception in 2012
27 September, 2025, Fuji Speedway, Japan: Aston Martin’s spectacular Valkyrie hypercar will start from the second row of the grid for Sunday’s 6 Hours of Fuji, after Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Alex Riberas (ESP) qualified third overall for the 100th FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] race. The performance marked the British ultra-luxury brand’s highest starting position since making its WEC debut in Lusail, for the 1812km Qatar, back in February.
The two Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyries set a searing pace throughout practice for the event, which marks Aston Martin’s 100th WEC start; the British ultra-luxury performance brand is one of three manufacturers to have been present at all WEC’s preceding 99 races.
The #007 Valkyrie ended free practice fastest of all, in the hands of Harry Tincknell (GBR), raising hopes of a pole shot, after both cars shone throughout Friday’s two 90-minute training sessions. Then in qualifying, three-time FIA WEC GT champion Sørensen delivered a breathtaking lap to break into the Hyperpole session as the fastest qualifier. The Dane delivered two highly competitive laps in the Hyperpole session (a 10-minute shoot-out for the top ten qualifiers) which placed him third overall; his 1m28.705s lap was ultimately just 0.030s shy of a front position for Round 7 of the 2025 WEC season.
“The first objective was to get into Hyperpole,” said Sørensen. “Then when we did that I was like, ‘I really want pole’. So, when we ended up only third, I was a little bit disappointed! Now if we can get everything in the right place for the race, put together the right strategy, make the right tyre choices, we should be on for a good result.
“Everything has been getting progressively better for the last three races, and we’ve taken some good steps forward. Now we are find ourselves in the real fight and we’re not having to look for crazy amounts of time to get to the front. If you look at where we were in Qatar and compare it to where we are now, it’s amazing, and that’s down to how hard the team is working and how much the car is improving. I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.”
Aston Martin Head of Endurance, Adam Carter, added: “While we must remember this is only qualifying, and that we still have a six-hour race to complete tomorrow, this remains a stand-out moment for the programme. Valkyrie has made steady but significant progress through its debut season and qualifying third in Fuji demonstrates its growing potential in an ultra-competitive Hypercar Class. To be less than a tenth away from the front row, and show impressive pace through the weekend so far, is an achievement within itself when you consider how young the programme is. Now we most double-down and focus on maximising the opportunity we have in front of us in the race.”
Valkyrie’s sporting momentum has grown step-by-step since its encouraging 24 Hours of Le Mans (in June) debut, where both Valkyrie hypercars completed their maiden twice-around-the-clock event without issue, finishing 12th and 14th, and the Aston Martin THOR Team registered the cars’, and Aston Martin’s first Manufacturer’s World Championship points in the Hypercar Class. The car also starred in the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas [COTA] earlier in the month, where the unique 6.5-litre, V12-powered British hypercar, ran as high as fourth position long into the rain-affected race in Austin, TX.
Valkyrie is the first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin. Raced by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, Valkyrie is the only car in WEC’s premier category derived from a road-legal hypercar and made its global debut in the Qatar 1812km in February. Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, the competition version 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 regulations.
Harry Tincknell, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (P11, 1m29.935s) : “I don’t think we quite got the most out of today, but it’s a long race and the race pace looks very strong. The main thing is that it’s a great result for Aston Martin. Marco did an amazing job to put us in P3, and we’ve shown good speed across both sessions today. As we’ve been saying over the last three or four races, the most important thing is that we’re making progress every time. I feel like I’ve made another big step this weekend, and hopefully we can get a result tomorrow that everyone can be proud of.”
Marco Sørensen, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (P3, 1m28.705s): “I was actually a little bit disappointed when we didn’t get pole position but all in all, we put ourselves in a good position for the race. If we can get everything right tomorrow; with the right strategy and tyre choices, then manage the tyres and the energy well, then I think we should be on for a strong result here.”
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “It’s been a special weekend so far. I think we’ve been turning a few heads and surprising people with the progress we continue to make. I’m very happy for the crew and everyone who works on this programme. Coming into the weekend if I was being optimistic, I’d say we can be back in the top ten like we were in COTA – but to be honest we are already ahead of our expectations. The development of Valkyrie has been strong, the drivers are delivering, and our race pace looks good. We’re proving that we are a valuable addition to grid and deserve to be near the front of a ferociously competitive group.”
Vantage builds on extraordinary legacy with tenth class Fuji Speedway pole position in WEC
- Aston Martin Vantage achieves a tenth pole position at Fuji Speedway as Racing Spirit of Léman takes second LMGT3 top spot in the three races
- Vantage chasing first win of WEC season at Round 7, in Japan
- Heart of Racing Team qualify fourth for 6 Hours of Fuji
Aston Martin Vantage will start its 100th FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] race from pole position after Racing Spirit of Léman clinched its second LMGT3 class top spot in three races with drivers Eduardo Barrichello (BRA) and Anthony McIntosh (USA). The achievement marked the tenth-class pole at the Japanese venue for Vantage, the British ultra-luxury performance brand’s most successful racing car.
McIntosh makes his second WEC start in Fuji, having also taken pole position with Barrichello in São Paulo, Brazil, back in July before racing on to clinch the team’s first WEC podium with works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA). The American qualified the car eighth in Fuji, safely getting through to Hyperpole on his debut appearance at a Japanese venue. Barrichello, also on his first visit to the circuit, then delivered two outstanding qualifying laps to ensure that the #10 Vantage GT3 took the third pole position for the latest iteration of the car.
“Tony did a mega job to put us through into Hyperpole, and I was happy to put in a strong lap as well,” said Barrichello. “We’ve been a little down on straight-line speed, so we had to be smart in the Hyperpole session. The #27 crew were kind enough to work with us and give us a tow, two laps for them and two laps for us. It works perfectly with two Aston Martins in the top four! Tomorrow, I think we have a strong car, Tony has been great, I’ve done my part and Val always delivers, so I’m confident we can fight for a strong result.”
The #27 Heart of Racing Vantage also made it through to Hyperpole after team principal Ian James (GBR) qualified the blue Aston Martin fifth. Team-mate Zacharie Robichon (CDN) then ensured that the crew which is completed by works driver Mattia Drudi (ITA) will begin the 100th WEC race from fourth on the LMGT3 grid.
Through five iterations, spanning 12 and a half seasons, the glorious Vantage has claimed 53 GT class victories – the second highest of any manufacturer. It has won races in every WEC class it has contested (LMGTE Pro, LMGTE Am and LMGT3), and with every version of Vantage that Aston Martin has introduced. Responsible for 11 world championship titles, and five 24 Hours of Le Mans class wins in the WEC era, Vantage has also claimed 69 class pole positions.
Vantage’s record at Fuji is no less impressive; with seven class victories derived from 16 podium appearances – two of which were double-class wins – as well as ten class pole positions. On only three occasions has the Fuji WEC podium not featured a Vantage driver crew.
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury performance brand’s most focused sportscar, 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. As well as victory in IMSA at Watkins Glen, the car recorded class victory in the 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa as well as a class podium in the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring, in June.
How to follow
The 6 Hours of Fuji will begin at 1100 local time (+8 Hours BST) on Sunday, 28 September. The race will be broadcast live on FIA WEC TV online with a choice of English or French-language commentary and via selected broadcasters at a national level.
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