V12
Max and Alex Drive The Valkyrie
February 18, 2020
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.”
Aston Martin Valkyrie
At the heartbeat of the Valkyrie
December 14, 2018
With the delivery date of the first Aston Martin AM-RB 001 Valkyrie drawing ever closer, Aston Martin this week released performance figures for its mighty Cosworth V12 engine.
Like everything else to do with the Adrian Newey-designed hypercar, they exceed a design specification that was truly spectacular in the first place.
As intended from the outset of the project, the 6.5l engine has a certified peak power output of 1000bhp (which works out at an impressive 153.8 bhp-per-litre) reached at a 10,500rpm, before going on to hit the red line at 11,000 rpm.
Thanks to sophisticated materials, technology and advanced production processes, the engine weighs just 206kg and – with shades of F1 – is a fully-stressed element of the chassis. The engine reaches peak torque of 740Nm at 7,000rpm, though this will be supplemented by a kinetic energy recovery system developed by Rimac, the performance of which will be revealed nearer the delivery date.
While the 65° V12 layout harks back to the Formula One we knew in the early 1990s, the addition of a KERS places it firmly in the hybrid era and ensures it meets all programme targets for emissions compliance.
Designed as a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the Valkyrie is intended to be the ultimate road-going hypercar and thus, Cosworth set out to create the ultimate road-going V12 to complement it.
Cosworth Technical Director Bruce Wood, commented: “Being asked to create a naturally aspirated V12 engine fit for what will surely be one of the most iconic cars of all time is an immense source of pride for Cosworth.
“Decades in F1 taught us to expect a pretty demanding specification from someone with Adrian Newey’s unsurpassed track record, but when we started talking about specifics of power, weight, emissions compliance and durability combined with ever harder and sometimes conflicting targets, we knew this would be a challenge like no other.
“It’s been a fantastic partnership between Aston Martin, Red Bull and Cosworth with each party bringing a distinct clarity of vision that has proved essential in delivering an internal combustion engine way beyond anything previously seen in a road car application.”
The Cosworth V12 will be used in both the Aston Martin AM-RB 001 Valkyrie, and the track-only Aston Martin AMR Pro derivative. Deliveries of the 150 road cars and 25 track variants are scheduled to begin next year, with the entire production run long-since sold-out.
