Shane van Gisbergen wins Chicago Grant Park 165 for another Nascar victory
A day after taking victory in the Xfinity Series, the Kiwi took out the Grant Park 165 Nascar event from pole for his second Nascar victory of the
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Liam Lawson's Red Bull future about more than just results
While it would have been hoped that 2025 would be Lawson's year – having held off both Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez to be named a Red Bull driver – it's been anything but. Struggles in Melbourne and Shanghai instead convinced Red Bull that they'd been too hasty in promoting the 23-year-old, moving him back to Racing Bulls, their junior side. Liam Lawson has been tipped to be in line for a contract extension. Photo / Red Bull Since then, he's had to rebuild – and at the halfway point of the season, he's doing just that. From 12 races, 10 of them with Racing Bulls, Lawson sits 16th in the drivers championship after points finishes in Monaco and Austria. In comparison, teammate Isack Hadjar is 11th in his rookie season, nine points clear of Lawson. It's for that reason, though, that Hadjar appears the front-runner for promotion to Red Bull ahead of the Kiwi, at a time when the team are seeking certainty from soon-to-be-former world champion Max Verstappen. On the surface, Lawson has been outperformed by Hadjar at every turn. While Lawson has two points finishes, the 20-year-old rookie has five, even if he's not scored since crossing the line seventh in Spain. But what Lawson adds away from the track is where his value truly lies. Since signing with Red Bull as a 17-year-old, Lawson has consistently proven to be a world-class hand in aiding in car development. As both a test and reserve driver, Red Bull are understood to have been impressed with how Lawson is able to understand a car's strengths and weaknesses, and where improvements can be made. Yuki Tsunoda (left) and Liam Lawson were teammates in 2024. Photo / Red Bull It's part of the reason why he was promoted to Red Bull – perhaps prematurely – ahead of Tsunoda at the end of 2024, after the call was made to drop Perez. However, it's what Lawson has added to Racing Bulls this year that's seen his true value come to the fore. Since moving back, Lawson has acted as a mentor for Hadjar, as the team's senior figure, and taken on a leadership role within the environment. That leadership has increased Lawson's value within both Red Bull and Racing Bulls, and will come to the fore in the future, as teenage sensation Arvid Lindblad is lined up to step up from Formula Two in 2026. It does, though, lead to questions about Lawson's long-term future with Red Bull. Pierre Gasly was used in a similar role after his demotion from Red Bull to then-Toro Rosso in 2019. There, he mentored Tsunoda from 2021, until he departed for Alpine at the end of 2023. Pierre Gasly's (left) fate could hold lessons for Liam Lawson. Photo / Don Kennedy Having Gasly as a senior figure helped Tsunoda adjust to the rigours of Formula One, before his eventual promotion to Red Bull at Lawson's expense earlier this year. But if Lawson's role is now to simply be a pillar of support to Red Bull's up-and-coming talent – a tag he himself used to hold – how long will he give himself before looking elsewhere? Lawson has always been adamant he wants to be a world champion – and that he wants to do it with Red Bull. However, if – like Gasly – he's deemed more of an asset in the junior team, only Lawson himself can decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
1News
2 days ago
- 1News
Warriors' Tanah Boyd into driver's seat to face Tigers' Luai
Wests Tigers are wary of Tanah Boyd as he prepares to take the wheel and drive the Warriors back on course amid their injury crisis. Ex-Gold Coast halfback Boyd has been tasked with getting the Warriors' top-four tilt back on track in his first game replacing Luke Metcalf, whose breakout season has been ended by a knee injury. For his Warriors club debut, 24-year-old Boyd lines up opposite Jarome Luai as the Tigers co-captain prepares to back up from State of Origin, in Auckland on Sunday. "The moment [Luai] walked onto the plane with the boys you could feel the lift," said Tigers coach Benji Marshall. "He'll be sweet to go." ADVERTISEMENT Former premiership-winning five-eighth Marshall has a high opinion of Boyd, who has won all 13 of his games for the Warriors' ladder-leading NSW Cup team this year. "He's a really solid player, really tough defensively, good kicking game, takes the line on," said Marshall. "We're going to have to be on." Warriors coach Andrew Webster chose Boyd as his halfback over Te Maire Martin to ensure the versatile Martin could remain on the bench in case of more injuries. The Kiwi club have had to cope with the mid-game losses of Metcalf, Mitch Barnett, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in recent weeks, although the latter returns from an ankle issue this week. Boyd last played first-grade for the Titans in September, but Webster felt comfortable giving him the "keys" to the Warriors this week. "Every halfback's got to have the keys. They have to. But the keys are in the way he does it. He drives the car differently [from Metcalf]. That was pretty corny, wasn't it?" the coach said with a laugh. Webster said Boyd and Metcalf were "completely different" with the former a kick-first game manager and Metcalf noted for his electric running ability. ADVERTISEMENT "[Boyd] just needs to be himself. He's going to play a different style to what Luke does but we just want him to be himself," Webster said. "We just know if he does that, we're going to be in good shape. "We're really confident in his ability."
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Nascar: Shane van Gisbergen makes it back-to-back Cup race wins
Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates after winning the Nascar Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 race at Sonoma Raceway, California, July 13. Photo: AFP Kiwi motor racing ace Shane van Gisbergen has won back-to-back victories in the Nascar Cup Series, with a strong win at Sonoma Raceway in California. The three-time Supercars champion backed up his win in the Chicago Street Race last weekend with the Sonoma triumph. Van Gisbergen, 36, hasn't won an oval track this year but has won the last three road course races - in Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma. Those three wins put him equal with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for most victories this season. Van Gisbergen started in pole position and led in his No 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet for 97 of the 110 laps at Sonoma, withstanding interruptions from a flurry of late caution periods before powering away late in the race. He won by 1.128 seconds ahead of Chase Briscoe. "That was pretty tough stuff. We had an amazing car," van Gisbergen said. "I had a really fun weekend here, some great races, and I hope everyone enjoyed that. "Now we need to keep getting better on the ovals and start proving some people wrong. "I had an amazing time in Australia and then to come here… the last couple of weeks or years actually has been a dream come true." The Cup Series heads to Dover in Delaware this weekend. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
