Double blow for Aston Martin Valkyrie

The future of the Aston Martin Valkyrie has taken a hit on two fronts, with a back-down on a Le Mans racing program and confirmation the British hypercar will not be available in Australia.

Aston has also been sideswiped by the Le Mans organiser, the ACO, which has described the “fragility” of the company.

Yet the Valkyrie has been trumpeted this week with a racetrack appearance involving grand prix drivers Max Verstappen and Alex Albon, who drive for the Red Bull Aston team, at Silverstone in Britain.

The head of Aston Martin in Australia, Kevin Wall, told carsales that Australian Design Rule regulations are the reason the car will not be street-legal here.

“We’ve always had an issue with homologation with Valkyrie. It’s quite old news,” Wall said.

“There is a track version that could come to Australia, of course, but we haven’t sold one. And, to the best of my knowledge they are all sold out anyway. So it’s academic.”

Wall does not have details on the certification problem, but admits it could be related to ADR drive-by noise limits.

But his comments are contradicted by a spokesman from Aston Martin in Britain.

“It is possible for the car to be sold in that market and would not be restricted by ADR noise,” he told carsales.

“Of course, while there is demand in these parts of the world, it doesn’t always guarantee that they will make it to that region even if we are open to sales of that product in that territory.”

The big setback this week is Aston’s announcement that it is reviewing its plan to return to Le Mans with an outright contender, not just its production-based GTE Vantage, when new Hypercar rules come into effect.

It’s not a straight withdrawal, as Aston says it will now “pause as it considers whether to continue in any future prototype class” and that it remains “open to working with both organisations to find a suitable pathway for any future participation”.

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer says the company’s desire is “undiminished” but that "it is only right that we reassess our position in light of a significant change in the landscape that was not anticipated when we committed last year”.

“We entered Aston Martin Valkyrie in WEC [World Endurance Championship] and at Le Mans with the understanding that we would be competing with similar machinery and like-minded manufacturers.

“The situation has changed and it makes sense for us to pause and reconsider our options.”

He does not mention that Aston Martin is set to become a Formula 1 entrant now that Lawrence Stroll, who is already the owner of the Racing Point team, has taken a major stake in the company and is planning to re-brand his outfit as Aston Martin.

But the ACO fired back over the decision, which is likely to destabilise its Hypercar regulations and the potential entries of a number of car-makers including Toyota.

“For a few months now, we have all been aware of the economic difficulties of Aston Martin, and the subsequent questions raised about its future motorsport programmes, namely endurance racing and F1, as well as its strategic path forward,” said Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO.

A joint statement by the FIA, ACO and WEC is more blunt.

“The decision announced by Aston Martin is very regrettable but perhaps not unexpected in light of the persistent rumours over the last six months concerning the fragility of the brand’s exposure in the rapidly evolving automotive market.”

Still, Fillon says the Le Mans organisers “await a favourable outcome”.

While the Valkyrie program is facing tough times, Wall says he has good news on Aston’s mid-engined road car program with the Valhalla.

“Yes, it’s going well. It is coming to Australia,” he told carsales.

“I cannot talk specific numbers but there are no issues. We’re currently talking 2022.”