SVG top of the tree as Kiwi drivers hit top gear
Here are eight New Zealanders who have starred in the motorsport world this year
Scott McLaughlin looks set to continue down the road that saw Scott Dixon win six IndyCar championships.
Shane van Gisbergen
Easily sits at the top of the tree. Not only did he win his second Bathurst last Sunday, with a 567-point buffer, he is almost certain to clinch his third Supercars title. He’s a gifted GT campaigner, having finished third two years in a row at the Bathurst 12 Hour, and raced the Le Mans 24 Hour, Spa 24 Hour, Daytona 24 Hour and Blancpain GT Series. Most astonishing, though, is his prowess in a rally car against the best in the world. At the New Zealand round of the World Rally Championship, van Gisbergen finished an incredible third in the WRC2 class to go alongside his podium finish at a round of the Australian Rally Championship. He’s also the reigning New Zealand Grand Prix champion.
Hayden Paddon
For a bloke who has had so much bad luck during his rally career, Paddon hit the second half of 2022 with a hiss and a roar. The former WRC round winner is building up for a full-on attack on the WRC2 title in 2023 by doing selected rounds of the WRC and contesting the Tour European Rally series this year. With a new rally car picked up only a few days earlier from the factory, Paddon finished third in Finland and then hustled back to New Zealand to prepare for the WRC round on home soil after a 10-year hiatus. Again, without much preparation time, he and co-driver John Kennard put on a consummate display to win the WRC2 class by a healthy margin while also clinching the domestic title. Paddon has now won the New Zealand Rally Championship six times and also leads the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
Scott McLaughlin
In only his second season racing IndyCars, McLaughlin has shown he is a genuine championship contender. He picked up seven podium finishes, including three wins, this year, and was Rookie of the Year in his debut season. Such was his form in 2022, McLaughlin headed to the season finale at Luguna Seca as one of five drivers who could win the championship. He finished sixth, and despite missing out on double points at the Indianapolis 500 due to a crash, he placed fourth overall. He’s developing consistency and will be among the favourites for the title in 2023. After conquering the tin tops with three consecutive Supercars titles, McLaughlin looks set to continue down the road that saw Scott Dixon win six IndyCar championships.
Liam Lawson
Such is the talent and drivers with large chequebooks lining up for a seat in Formula 1, Lawson missed out on the top echelon of single-seat racing during this year’s musical chairs.
Lawson is an undoubted talent and has the support of Red Bull Racing adviser Helmut Marko. When Juri Vips was dropped as Scuderia Alpha Tauri reserve driver, Lawson was promoted into his position. He was part of the young driver test last year and joined the big boys at the Belgium Grand Prix during official free practice this year. He’s in his second season in Formula 2 and has accumulated eight podium finishes, including three on the top step. With two rounds to go, Lawson sits seventh in the championship.
Brendon Hartley
Now that Hartley no longer races in Formula 1, he’s not in the public eye as much. However, the three-time Le Mans 24 Hour champion and twotime World Endurance Championship winner blazes bright in Europe. With one round in the 2022 series to go (8 Hours of Bahrain on November 11), Hartley and co-drivers Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa lead the championship by 26 points. Rediscovering his F1 dream is probably over after his one season in the category in 2018 but Hartley has set about re-establishing his reputation in endurance racing and is one of the most sought-after drivers in that form of racing across a number of classes and championships.
Nick Cassidy
A man who’s almost as busy as Shane van Gisbergen racing across a number of categories is Cassidy. He would be one of New Zealand’s most underrated drivers, with an impressive CV. He’s a three-time New Zealand Grand Prix winner, a Japanese Formula 3 and Super GT champion and winner of the Super Formula series. This year, he’s contesting the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German DTM) series, where he’s picked up two wins, the popular Formula E, where he has also won a race, and the World Endurance Championship, regularly finishing in the top 10. Cassidy also raced in his first Le Mans 24 Hour this year, finishing sixth in class.
Marcus Armstrong
It is quite amazing New Zealand has two young drivers in probably the most highly contested racing category. Formula 2 is the feeder series for Formula 1, and having Armstrong racing alongside Liam Lawson is great to see. Like Lawson, Armstrong has had an up-and-down season but has still stood on the podium four times, collecting three wins. From 2017 until the end of 2021, Armstrong was a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and like Lawson, he also tested a Formula 1 car, the 2018 SF71H Ferrari.
Mitch Evans
A former GP3 (now Formula 3) champion, Evans was an early adopter of Formula E and has competed in the championship since 2016. A consistent top 10 finisher, 2022 was his best season yet, just missing the title to finish second overall. This season was his most consistent, with seven podium finishes, including four wins, keeping him in contention for the title until the final round. Evans also raced in Formula 2, earning four wins, and has raced at the Le Mans 24 Hour (second in class) and is a New Zealand Grand Prix champion.
Other Kiwi drivers on the cusp of making it who deserve mentions include Hunter McElrea, Matthew Payne, Jaxon Evans and Louis Sharp.