F1 News: Alonso gets Newey designed Valkyrie from Aston Martin (2nd Update)

(GMM) Aston Martin has dismissed widespread reports about the health of Fernando Alonso’s new hypercar.

This week, the Silverstone-based Formula 1 team and its carmaker parent proudly boasted that two-time champion Alonso received delivery of his custom multi-million dollar ‘Valkyrie’ hypercar – “a true F1 car for the road”.

The Spaniard, according to the press release, drove his new Adrian Newey-designed machine “out of the iconic Monte Carlo Bay Hotel”.

But in the hours before the announcement hit journalists’ inboxes, residents and visitors in the Principality also spotted the Alonso-branded car apparently broken down – and then being hauled away on the back of a tow-truck.

Tobias Gruner, a writer for Auto Motor und Sport, said suspecting a mechanical breakdown was understandable, as the “complex electric system is said to occasionally exhibit small glitches”.

Indeed, footage of Alonso’s stationary Valkyrie depicted an Aston Martin clad employee in the cockpit with a laptop. “But when we asked, Aston Martin assured us that the arrival and departure on the truck was planned and not the result of a breakdown,” said Gruner.

“The car was transported to another location at the request of the new owner,” he concluded.

Fernando Alonso’s $3 million Aston Martin Valkyrie broke down on the streets of Monaco after just an hour of driving.

As scores of enthusiasts watched, the 1,140-horsepower supercar, which costs half a million to maintain, was towed away.

Surrounding the car are a team of technicians, including one sitting in the car and diagnosing what went wrong with the piece of crap with a laptop.

Aston Martin’s Aramco Formula One Team driver, Fernando Alonso, took to the streets of Monaco today, following delivery of his Adrian Newey designed Aston Martin Valkyrie; the ultimate hypercar, a true F1 car for the road.

Alonso drove his new Valkyrie hypercar out of the iconic Monte Carlo Bay Hotel, showcasing a bespoke specification created in partnership with the design team at Aston Martin’s bespoke service, Q by Aston Martin.

Taking inspiration from his Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team AMR24 race car, Alonso’s Valkyrie is painted in Satin Aston Martin Racing Green with bespoke contrasting AMR Satin Lime Graphics, emphasizing the aerodynamic highlights of the hypercar. The cavernous Venturi Tunnel has been enhanced even further with the addition of Speed Red and Light and Dark Blue painted graphics. Exposed Carbon Fiber adorns the roof, engine cover, and lower aero and a Titanium Aston Martin Wings badge sits proudly on the nose. A bespoke ‘CAUTION HOT’ graphic has also been applied to the rear.

Possibly, the most intricate detail is, in fact, one that most will not see: A red anodized aluminum accelerator pedal etched with the number ’14’, paying homage of course to Fernando Alonso’s driver number, chosen at the age of 14 on 14 July 1996 when he became karting world champion with #14.

“It’s hard to put into words how much I have been looking forward to this day,” said Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team driver, Fernando Alonso. “To sit at the wheel of my own Valkyrie; one that I have worked on designing so closely with the team at Q by Aston Martin is certainly a day to remember. Valkyrie truly is an F1 car for the road, with so much of the knowledge and technology taken from all the experience Aston Martin has on track and I can’t wait to hit the road.”

Accelerating from 0-60mph in under 2.5 seconds and boasting a hybrid 6.5-liter V12 powertrain developing a maximum power of 1,155PS, the Aston Martin Valkyrie incorporates a ferocious combination of F1 inspired aerodynamics and performance, delivering one of the most intense driving experiences achievable on the road.

Like all Aston Martin sports cars, Valkyrie is being built at the marque’s UK Headquarters in Gaydon. A dedicated project delivery team manages the build right through to delivery in a specially commissioned Valkyrie production area.  A team of highly skilled technicians hand-build each of the 150 cars, with each Valkyrie taking over 2000 man-hours to create.