Believe it or not, it's been nearly four years since the Aston Martin Valkyrie was unveiled as a prototype back when it was known as the AM-RB 001. Today, the revolutionary hypercar still isn't quite ready for production, but it's reached a new stage of development.

Three verification prototypes of the Aston Martin Valkyrie were recently taken to the Silverstone race track where Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers Max Verstappen and Alex Albon got to take the revolutionary hypercar for a spin for the first time before customer deliveries begin in the second half of 2020. The Aston Martin Valkyrie is being billed as a race car for the road, so it's important to get a seal of approval from F1 drivers.

Verstappen and Albon got behind the wheel of the first verification prototype that made its public debut at last year's British Grand Prix, while the two new verification prototypes were put through their paces by Aston Martin high-performance test driver Chris Goodwin and Aston Martin Racing WEC drivers Darren Turner and Alex Lynn.

Eight verification prototypes will be built in total. Each will undergo intense testing to develop and assess different components. Verstappen and Albon provided initial feedback to Aston Martin's High-Performance Development Driver, Chris Goodwin and both Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies' engineering teams. "I was here at Silverstone to watch the first runs of the Aston Martin Valkyrie at the British Grand Prix last year but of course it's always better to be behind the wheel yourself, and 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 Verstappen.

"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! The Aston Martin Valkyrie and its levels of downforce are incredible, and it looks super aggressive. It was a lot of fun out there."

For Albon, this was the first time the F1 driver had seen the Aston Martin Valkyrie in the metal, and it didn't disappoint. "It was incredibly exciting to have this opportunity to drive the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the first thing that struck me was the visual aspect - it looks awesome! It also really feels like a racing car," he said.

"Max had a go before me, so the anticipation was building, and to get a chance to drive it was really special. 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 F1TM car, you're missing the outright downforce, but you still feel the Gs in the corners and it definitely reacts closer to an F1TM car than a normal road car. It's pretty special. I just need to get my hands on one!".

Powering the Aston Martin Valkyrie will be a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine from Cosworth that produces 1,000 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque and rev all the way up to 11,200 rpm. A battery-electric system developed by Rimac adds an additional 160 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque.