Aston Martin's secret one-off hypercar laps Paul Ricard with record-breaking F1-beating claims

Aston Martin’s secretive one-off track car has been filmed lapping Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France, adding fresh fuel to reports that the machine could outpace a Formula 1 car around a circuit.

The footage, shared on Reddit, is the latest in a series of sightings that began in April. The car has since been spotted at a private airfield and at Portimão in Portugal, yet Aston Martin has remained publicly silent on the project throughout.

Half F1 car, half hypercar

The design is unlike anything currently on sale or on the grid. From the cockpit forward it borrows heavily from Formula 1 — narrow nose, exposed suspension arms, and what appears to be a halo structure over the driver. Further back, enclosed bodywork and a rear end that closely resembles a Le Mans prototype draw clear inspiration from Aston’s Valkyrie hypercar. The result is effectively a cross between an F1 car and a track-only Valkyrie, built with a single aim: to go faster than either.

Built for one very wealthy customer

German magazine Auto Motor und Sport reported in April that the car is a one-off commissioned by Ken Griffin, the American billionaire who founded the Citadel hedge fund. According to that report, Griffin approached Aston Martin with a straightforward brief: build the fastest track car in the world.

The project is understood to have originated as a concept presented to a small group of clients at Silverstone. Aston Martin Performance Technologies — the engineering consultancy tied to the brand’s Formula 1 programme — is said to be overseeing development. Some reports have suggested Adrian Newey could be involved, though that has not been confirmed.

What powers it?

Nothing has been officially announced, but the car’s exhaust note has given observers strong clues. Those who have heard the footage broadly agree it sounds consistent with the Cosworth-built 6.5-litre V12 found in the Valkyrie, which produces around 1,160hp with hybrid assistance in road-going form.

Reports differ on whether this one-off retains the hybrid system or runs the V12 alone, as the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro does. Rumours place total output at roughly 1,200hp.

Faster than an F1 car?

The headline claim from Auto Motor und Sport is that the car could be significantly quicker than a current Formula 1 machine on a given circuit. The logic is straightforward: unlike F1, bespoke track cars of this nature face no meaningful regulations, no minimum weight requirements, and no aerodynamic restrictions. With a reported 1,200hp and freedom to generate downforce without limit, the performance ceiling is theoretically very high.

Aston Martin has yet to comment publicly on the car, its customer, or its performance targets.