Max Verstappen and Alex Albon got their first taste of the Aston Martin Valkyrie as the Formula One drivers got behind the wheel of the revolutionary hypercar at Silverstone Circuit.
The brainchild of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey and designed in collaboration with Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman, the 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 Valkyrie aims to bring Formula 1 levels of performance to the road and track.
And with development of the Valkyrie now entering its final phase, Max and Alex were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the game-changing hypercar.
As Aston Martin tested a trio of prototypes at the home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone.
Both Max and Alex opted to test the VP1 prototype in its striking Signature Pack Red Bull-inspired livery, first seen on the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 and featured on the Valkyrie at its first track test at Silverstone in July 2019.
And Max came away impressed by the Valkyrie’s performance, saying: “I was here at Silverstone to watch the first runs of the Valkyrie at the British Grand Prix last year but of course it’s always better to be behind the wheel yourself.
“To be one of the first guys to drive an insane car like this was really exciting. It was amazing to get a first taste of it,” said Max.
“Of course it’s still in the development phase but you can already feel the pace, which compared to a normal car is… pretty different!” he added.
“The Valkyrie and its levels of downforce are incredible, and it looks super aggressive. It was a lot of fun out there.”
For Alex, today’s Silverstone outing was a first opportunity to see the hypercar in the flesh, and he wasn’t disappointed.
“It was incredibly exciting to have this opportunity and the first thing that struck was the visual aspect – it looks awesome! It also really feels like a racing car,” said the Thai driver.
“Max had a go before me, so the anticipation was building, and to get a chance to drive it was really special and it feels really good.
“Obviously there’s still some development to do, but already it feels very good, especially the balance between the corners. It’s light; it feels sharp.
“Sure, compared to an F1 car, you’re missing the outright downforce, but you still feel the G forces in the corners and it definitely reacts closer to an F1 car than a normal road car.
“It’s pretty special. I just need to get my hands on one!”
The VP1 wasn’t the only Valkyrie on track as the VP2 and VP3 models also took to the circuit at the hands of Aston Martin test drivers Chris Goodwin, Darren Turner and Alex Lynn.
Looking back on the day Alex shared his thoughts on the Valkryie, representing a major achievement for both Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin.
“It’s a big achievement for Red Bull Advanced Technologies. Aston Martin have been very welcoming to the idea of a Formula One team working with a car manufacturer, and with Adrian’s help it’s very exciting to take the technology we have at the race track and bring it to the road.”