Shane van Gisbergen ‘Glad’ He Never Raced for Red Bull F1 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Following a pole win in Mexico City, Shane van Gisbergen passed a light, humorous jab at his sponsor, Red Bull. He jokingly revealed his thankfulness for not being a Formula 1 driver for Red Bull Racing.
Back in 2023, Shane van Gisbergen made a fantastic NASCAR Cup Series debut by winning the inaugural Chicago Street Course race with Trackhouse Racing. The Kiwi driver only grabbed a single podium finish during his part-time campaign with Kaulig Racing last season.
But, this season’s early races proved quite underwhelming for him. In the first 15 races this season, the 36-year-old finished only once inside the top 10. This challenging start hinted at his inexperience inside the oval circuits.
Fast forward to last weekend. Van Gisbergen finally experienced a breakthrough as he charged to victory from his pole start in the inaugural event in Mexico City. After his win, the now-full-time Cup Series driver thanked his team for its continued trust in his racing capabilities.
Unlike Trackhouse Racing, van Gisbergen’s sponsor, Red Bull, showed quite the opposite to their Formula 1 drivers this season. The former F1 Constructors’ champion showed little support to his fellow countryman, Liam Lawson, who was axed after just two races.
Reflecting on his and Lawson’s early-season woes, Gisbergen made a cheeky, humorous remark to Red Bull’s Formula 1 team. “I’m glad I didn’t drive for Red Bull F1 after how the first few rounds went,” he said jokingly.
😅 Red Bull driver THANKFUL for not being in F1 #F1 | #RedBullRacing | #MaxVerstappenhttps://t.co/Q6DLZizlXf
— GPblog.com (@GPblog_com) June 19, 2025
Reminiscent of Red Bull’s drivers this season, the New Zealander also had a tough start in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse. He finished better than 30th only twice in the opening seven races with his No. 88 Chevrolet ZL1.
The race win at Mexico is fruition of Trackhouse’s continued faith in him. Reflecting on this, he thanked his team owner, Justin Marks, for giving him time to grab the win.
“[Team boss] Justin [Marks] has been amazing, supporting me and just giving me all the time I need and not putting pressure on [me],” he said. “It was really cool.”
With his victory, Shane van Gisbergen has secured a place for Trackhouse in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The New Zealander will now take on the Pocono Raceway for the Great American Getaway 400 and try to improve his current 30th-place driver standing.
Related: Shane Van Gisbergen Q&A With Athlon Sports
Related: Shane van Gisbergen Made New Zealand Proud With Top 10 Effort in Bowman Gray Clash
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.