Aston Martin Officially Postpones Le Mans Valkyrie Hypercar Program

Confirming rumors from yesterday, Aston Martin announced today it has postponed plans to field its new Valkyrie hypercar in the 2020-2021 World Endurance Championship and Le Mans. The news comes just weeks after Formula 1 team owner Lawrence Stroll's $239 million investment into the company.

Aston says the project's postponement stems from the ACO's and IMSA's decision to combine the Hypercar class with the new joint-series LMDh platform. The company's statement also cites Stroll's plan to make Aston Martin a factory F1 team in 2021, moving funding away from Red Bull Racing, the company's development partner for the Valkyrie.

Aston Martin's withdrawal from the upcoming WEC class means that Toyota and Glickenhaus are the only confirmed entrants at this time. Peugeot initially planned to join in as well, but announced it would be re-evaluating its plans following the launch of the LMDh platform. Sportscar365 says a handful of other manufacturers, including Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari, are said to be evaluating entries into the LMDh category, so we shouldn't be too worried about the new class falling flat... yet, anyway.

Still, it's sad to see such a cool car get canceled before it ever got the chance to race. Hopefully this won't be the last we're hearing about a V-12-powered Aston racing at Le Mans.

This article, originally published February 18th, 2020, has been updated with information from Aston Martin.

You Might Also Like

• You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox

• Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners

• The Man Who Signs Every Car