Aston Martin president and group CEO Andy Palmer says the future direction of the Hypercar class at Le Mans looked “50-50” as recently as two weeks ago before agreement💜s were struck ahead of their announcement.

Officials from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the FIA World Endurance Championship confirmed that a new Hypercar-based class will replace LMP1♊ as the premier category from the 2020-21 seas🐼on, with a first visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2021.

Aston Martin anno🍰unced shortly after that it would be entering at least two of its Red Bull-designed Valkyrie Hypercar to the new top class from the 2020-21 seas൩on, marking its return to the top category in sports car racing.

Toyota is set to confirm its involvement later today, reviving multi-manufacturer competition in t🌼he premier class at Le Mans.

However, Palmer explained that plans had escalated quickly in 🍨the last couple of weeks amid negotiations between various stakeholders before the final announcement🎃.

“If you’d asked me two weeks ago, I would have given you 50-50 odds 𒊎on where it was going to go,” Palmer said at Le Mans when asked by mahbx.com if he felt reliev𒀰ed the regulations had got over the line.

“It’s been a long haul here. Look, people are passionate about the sport, so that’s good news. People have differe🐷nt opinions of how you go racing, and their companies are in different positions.

“We’re fortunate in so far as we could 🌜have gone down a GTE route or a Valkyrie route, but obviously lots of teams can get you to GTE, so our natural preference was towards having a bit of a timing advantage on the Valkyrie. So therein lies our preference.

“But it⛎’s only in the last☂ week or so that it’s been clear that the ACO will carry the day with the Hypercar regs."

Asked about the debate betweenꦿ manufacturers, Palmer said: “There were two or three strands of opinions, and there always is, right? In fact, the ACO and the FIA invite that debate, because they want a series that is going to be successful. I think that was very healthy.

“It’s been a passionate debate, but now we can hop𒁃efully all align around the regulations as they are, and hopefu🍷lly over the period of two or three years, more and more teams will come.”

Palmer also confirmed that Aston Martin will cont💮inue with it🦹s existing GTE commitments alongside the Valkyrie Hypercar project.

“We’ll c❀ontinue to participate in GTE. The two ღare doing different things,” Palmer said.

“G꧅TE is a continuum of demonstrating that our sports cars have legitimacy, front-engined, two seats. In their track veꦬrsion, we sell GT4s and GT3s, so you need a halo.

“On the other hand, the🍃 marketing role of Valkyrie is basically about demonstrating our legitimacy in mid-engines so that when the Vanquish comes to market in 21/22, none of you guys are going to say well they don't have any legitimacy, an Aston with a mid-engined car?

“That’s already gone at that stage. They’ve done Formula 1, they’ve done WEC, they’ve done Valkyrie 001, 002, 003. It’s obvious that Aston should be in that 🌳space. That’s the role that this does.

“So there’s room for both.”