Aston Martin Hires McLaren’s Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin

Just as Valentino Balboni has become synonymous with Lamborghini test drivers, Chris Goodwin has become a McLaren institution. Goodwin’s test driving gave each successive road-going McLaren a certain seal of approval that legitimized the car.

From the first MP4-12C, to the forthcoming three-seat BP23 hyper grand tourer set to debut later this year, Goodwin has had his hands on them all, which makes his move from McLaren to Aston Martin an end of an era.

Goodwin had been with McLaren since 1997 when the legendary Ron Dennis told him that he should work as a test driver for the sports car maker. He already had a fairly successful racing career going for him, and when Dennis made the suggestion, the Brit wasn’t sure it was the right decision, but years later Goodwin called it, “the best thing [he] ever did.”

Twenty years later, Goodwin is starting a new chapter at Aston Martin as Expert High Performance Test Driver. The move is a boon for Aston Martin as not only is the British marque looking to expand its footprint in the luxury and supercar market, but also the hypercar segment with the Valkyrie, and who better to determine if the car is ready for customers than the man responsible for tuning the McLaren P1?

It won’t be an easy task. While Aston Martin’s Valkyrie is a hybrid hypercar like the McLaren P1, the Valkyrie uses a naturally aspirated V-12 and a body designed by Formula 1 superstar designer, Adrian Newey. The car aims to employ similar dynamics to prototype Le Mans race cars, as well as a few tricks from Formula 1, to deliver a new driving experience.

Goodwin will also be in charge of developing and honing Aston Martin’s upcoming Ferrari 488 GTB competitor, although that project is a little further down the pipeline compared to the Valkyrie.

Additionally, Aston Martin was also able to bring Simone Rizzuto into the fold. Rizzuto was previously responsible for vehicle performance testing and integration at Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Rizzuto will take on the role of Chief Engineer of Vehicle Dynamics at Aston Martin.

Speaking about Goodwin and Rizzuto, Aston Martin’s CEO Dr. Andy Palmer stated, “I’m thrilled to have Chris and Simone’s caliber join Aston Martin’s already stellar engineering and dynamics team. Their decision is a great endorsement of our future plans while the skills and experience they bring is second to none. As we enter the next crucial phase in the development of our growing product and powertrain portfolios, they will make an invaluable contribution in shaping an exceptional new family of Aston Martin models.”

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