Our Drivers Are Absolutely Flying in 2026

March 31, 2026

What a time to be a Kiwi motorsport fan. Seriously. Barely a handful of rounds in and our boys are already on fire, Liam Lawson mixing it at the front of the F1 grid, Shane van Gisbergen doing what he does best in NASCAR, and Mitch Evans hunting down points in Formula E. The 2026 season is shaping up to be one to remember.

Let's start at the sharp end. Liam Lawson is back at Racing Bulls and quietly building something special. After a power-related nightmare off the line in Melbourne, the kid from Pukekohe bounced back brilliantly in China, seventh-seventh across the Sprint and Grand Prix, eight points, and the most overtakes of anyone in both races. Then came Suzuka. Starting 14th again, Lawson did what Lawson does. He charged forward, made five passes, and with a perfectly timed safety car stop, came home ninth. Three points finishes from four attempts. Tenth in the championship. "Let's keep building on it," he told his race engineer over the radio. Yeah, Liam. Let's.

Then there's Shane van Gisbergen. Honestly, watching SVG right now is just pure joy. He won the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at COTA, pushed Tyler Reddick all the way to the line in the Cup race, and this weekend at Martinsville, a tight, unforgiving half-mile short track, he went out and qualified fifth. Fifth. On an oval. A career best. He's even switched to left-foot braking to unlock more performance on the ovals, and it's working. The NASCAR paddock is well and truly on notice.

Over in Formula E, Mitch Evans is doing what he always does, quietly building toward a championship.

His record breaking 15th career win in the wet at Miami was a masterclass, and a second place in Madrid keeps him right in the title conversation, sitting third in the standings. One of these seasons, Mitch is going to win that championship. You feel it.

In Supercars, Matt Payne has been doing what Payne does consistently, combatively, right in the mix at the pointy end of the standings. Meanwhile, Ryan Wood has been arguably the story of the early Supercars season, inside the top 10 in points and leading the Toyota charge in a brand new car.

At Sebring, where some of our greats, Like Scott Dixon and Earl Bamber were in action, young Hunter McElrea scored the LMP2 class win in the 12 Hour classic, and he’s now signed as reserve driver for Ed Carpenter Racing in IndyCar. The pathway to the big show is well and truly open.

Then there's Marco Giltrap in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. He opened his full-season campaign at Shanghai, qualified seventh in the Pro class, and sits third in the championship standings.

Multiple drivers. Multiple continents. Zero excuses. This is what Kiwi motorsport looks like in 2026 — and we couldn't be prouder to be part of the journey.