F1 champion Max Verstappen advised Shane van Gisbergen before dominant NASCAR Mexico win

Shane van Gisbergen has revealed he turned to Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen for advice ahead of his commanding victory in NASCAR’s maiden Cup Series race in Mexico City.

Driving the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, van Gisbergen led 60 of the 100 laps at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to finish 16.5 seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell. It marked the largest margin of victory in a Cup race since Texas in 2009.

The win was van Gisbergen’s second in the Cup Series, coming just two years after his sensational debut triumph on the streets of Chicago in 2023. It also coincided with NASCAR’s first race outside the United States since 1958.

A surprising source of support for the Kiwi came in the form of Verstappen, who has extensive experience at the Mexican Grand Prix venue and holds the record for the most F1 wins there with five victories for Red Bull.

Like Verstappen, three-time Supercars champion van Gisbergen is backed by Red Bull and is carry the energy drink giant's famous colours on his car in five races this year.

“I just look for every advantage I can,” said van Gisbergen. “I know he’s raced here in the rain and he’s a friend of mine, and I walked out on to pit road this morning and it was amazing how slick it was.

“Normally on a wet circuit the tarmac has grip and the white lines are slipperier. It was the opposite. It was like ice how slippery it was out there.

“I just reached out to him, was the grip on line, off line, what kind of techniques did he use, and, yeah, he didn’t say too much, but it’s always good to get a little leg up, you know.”

Van Gisbergen’s success in Mexico came amid an otherwise challenging rookie campaign in the Cup Series, having registered a single top-10 finish prior to his breakthrough win on Sunday.

Despite still sitting 30th in the drivers’ championship, the Mexico result has provisionally locked the 35-year-old into the 2025 playoffs.