Fernando Alonso has carried out a test behind the wheel of the Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin Valkyrie ahead of the start of the new WEC season.<\/p>\n
The F1 2026 season has been paused for five weeks following the cancellations of the April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Fernando Alonso tests Aston Martin Valkyrie at Paul Ricard<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n A number of drivers have sought to fill the gap by participating in other forms of motorsport, with Alonso\u2019s Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll competing in the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe last weekend.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Red Bull driver and four-time world champion Max Verstappen will this weekend take part in the Nurburgring 24-hour qualifiers ahead of his debut in the endurance classic next month.<\/p>\n F1 driving style analysis: The genius of Fernando Alonso<\/p>\n Revealed: Fernando Alonso\u2019s secret weapon in battles with F1 rivals<\/a><\/p>\n From \u2018GP2 engine\u2019 to \u2018karma\u2019 \u2013 10 of our favourite Fernando Alonso team radio messages<\/a><\/p>\n Alonso has become the latest big name to try his hand in alternative machinery, taking to the wheel of an Aston Martin Valkyrie LM \u2013 described as a \u2018track-focused evolution\u2019 and \u2018the ultimate incarnation\u2019 of the car used in competition in the World Endurance Championship and the US-based IMSA series \u2013 at Paul Ricard on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Aston Martin posted footage of Alonso\u2019s outing to its social media accounts (below).<\/p>\n In a post to his official account, Alonso wrote: \u201cAston Martin UNLEASHED track experience.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat day and always good to relive the prototype years! Incredible experience and an amazing sound.\u201d<\/p>\n The Valkyrie was designed by Newey, the most successful designer in F1 history, during Aston Martin\u2019s partnership with Red Bull a decade ago.<\/p>\n Aston Martin went on to enter F1 in its own right in 2021 following the acquisition of the iconic British brand by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who rebranded the existing Force India\/Racing Point squad.<\/p>\n Aston Martin, which has competed in the hypercar class of the WEC with the Valkyrie since the start of last year, later secured the signing of Newey following his departure from Red Bull in 2024.<\/p>\n A road-based Valkyrie is known to feature in Alonso\u2019s private car collection<\/a> after the 44-year-old took delivery of the machine in 2024.<\/p>\n Alonso famously won the Le Mans 24 Hours, the highlight of the WEC calendar, on two occasions with Toyota in 2018\/19.<\/p>\n The new WEC season is scheduled to begin this weekend with the 6 Hours of Imola.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n