Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will not participate in the Valkyrie program in Hypercar
Aston Martin does not plan to call on its Formula 1 drivers for the World Endurance Championship from 2025, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Wednesday, the broader automotive scene ignited with the confirmation of the participation of the Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH in the endurance world championship (WEC) and the IMSA SportsCar championship from 2025, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year.
It did not take more for speculations to go into overdrive about the participation of Aston Martin F1 drivers in the program. Especially from Fernando Alonso, who already has plenty of experience in this field: he is a double winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans, for the 2018 and 2019 editions, with Toyota. On its part, Aston Martin has only won the 24 hours of Le Mans once: in 1959, with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori.
But those who hoped to see the Spaniard and Lance Stroll take part in the famous French race aboard the Valkyrie must now be disappointed. Aston Martin does not plan to call on its F1 drivers to take on this role… Because it already has a team waiting in the wings. The initial project will thus favor drivers already associated with Heart of Racing: Alex Riberas, Ross Gunn, Nicki Thim, Charlie Eastwood, Marco Sørensen, Jonny Adam and the French Valentin Hasse-Clot.
« We have a good group at AMR, just like in the GT program. They will be used for initial testing and, if they show the right skills, they will be given the opportunity to prove their worth », said to the media Adam Carter, endurance boss at Aston Martin.
Ian James doesn’t close the door
On a similar note, Ian James, head of the “Heart of Racing” stable, discussed in his statements to Autosport.com the strategies adopted this season by giants like Ferrari and Porsche, both on the tarmac and behind the scenes. The successes of the latter, which have highlighted their GT drivers, have not gone unnoticed. The idea of welcoming an emblematic figure at the wheel of the Hypercar in the future is therefore not ruled out, but for now, “Heart of Racing” prioritizes talents that already defend their colors in Endurance.
« We first plan to select our drivers from the current generation of Heart of Racing and AMR, then possibly enrich our team. Although we do not close any doors, from Heart of Racing’s point of view, recruiting a big name is not a necessity to ensure the success of our program », stated Ian James.
Aston Martin to return to @24hoursoflemans to fight for overall victory with Valkyrie AMR Pro.#AstonMartin #INTENSITYDRIVEN #WeAreRacing
— Aston Martin (@astonmartin) October 4, 2023
