The new LeMans Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship gets underway for the 2020/2021 season but we will not see a Valkyrie on the grid as the manufacturer has put the whole thing on pause.
Aston Martin Lagonda has postponed development of its World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar race entry, following the recent decision by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) to harmonise the Hypercar class with the so-called LMDh prototype category in the WEC from 2021 and the US-based WeatherTech Sportscar Championship from 2022.
“We entered Aston Martin Valkyrie in WEC and at Le Mans with the understanding that we would be competing with similar machinery and like-minded manufacturers,” Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said. “The situation has changed and it makes sense for us to pause and reconsider our options.”
In response, the FIA Endurance Commission and WEC called the decision “very regrettable but perhaps not unexpected”, citing “persistent rumours over the last six months concerning the fragility of the brand’s exposure” and a decision to enter Formula 1 in 2021 as possible reasons for the exit.
Customer deliveries of the Aston Martin Valkyrie will commence in the second half of 2020 and Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro deliveries will commence in 2021.
Check out F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Alex Albon driving the prototypes for the very first time on Silverstone below.
