Fuji Speedway, Japan – 28 September 2025 – Aston Martin’s spectacular Valkyrie hypercar has marked a new milestone in its debut FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, claiming a career-best fifth place at the 6 Hours of Fuji. Piloted by three-time GT world champion Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Alex Riberas (ESP), the result not only represents the Hypercar programme’s best finish so far but also Aston Martin’s finest overall showing in the series’ top category.
The works Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie proved consistently competitive throughout the Japanese round, never leaving the top five in any of the three free practice sessions. Sørensen secured a front-row start, fastest in the prestigious Hyperpole session, while the duo battled through a race defined by attrition and six full-course yellow periods to deliver a stirring performance that highlighted the car’s potential and the programme’s rapid development.
“While finishing fifth is commendable given the youth of the programme, the pace and competitiveness shown by the team, the Valkyrie, and our drivers were hugely encouraging,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance, Adam Carter. “Just as at the Lone Star Le Mans at COTA earlier this month, Valkyrie proved it could race at the front. In Fuji, the pace was there to challenge for the podium, and the result is a testament to the momentum we are building.”
From the outset, the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie showcased its front-running speed. Sørensen started the race in a strong third, shadowing the leaders before an early drive-through penalty dropped the car to the back of the Hypercar pack. What followed was a relentless charge through the field, with both drivers demonstrating composure under chaotic conditions. Frequent full-course yellows tested strategy and concentration, but Riberas and Sørensen delivered performances that maximised every opportunity, eventually lifting the car back to fifth following post-race adjustments.
Ian James, Aston Martin THOR Team principal, praised the effort: “Looking back to Qatar, a result like this would have seemed a dream. There’s a touch of frustration not to have reached the podium, but this performance proves how competitive we’ve become. We’re racing against the best sportscar teams in the world and can hold our heads high.”
The fifth-place finish also secured a historic milestone: Sørensen and Riberas became the first Aston Martin drivers to score world championship points in WEC’s Hypercar class. It followed the team’s earlier points finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, reinforcing the programme’s rapid ascent.
Reflecting on the race, Sørensen said: “It was a crazy race with so many FCYs and Safety Cars, making it very difficult to manage. We made a few mistakes, but the pace we showed fighting at the front demonstrates how far the programme has come. Bahrain will be another opportunity to push for the podium.” Riberas added: “Finishing fifth feels bittersweet because everything needed to go perfectly for a podium. But considering where we started this season, this is a very strong result for the team and the car.”
The Valkyrie is Aston Martin’s first Le Mans Hypercar (LMH), blending a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a 6.5-litre, V12 engine that revs to 11,000rpm. While producing over 1,000bhp in standard form, the car competes under the WEC’s 500kW (680bhp) power limit. Uniquely, it is the only Hypercar currently contesting both the FIA WEC and North America’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, highlighting Aston Martin’s commitment to endurance racing on a global scale.
With the final round of the 2025 WEC season set for Bahrain on 8 November, the team enters the Middle East finale buoyed by a breakthrough result and a clear statement: the Aston Martin Valkyrie is a Hypercar capable of challenging the very best.
