Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

Prepare for a global motorsport spectacle! This weekend, eighteen Kiwi drivers will be competing across a range of international series. Included are Formula 1, Moto3 and beyond. We are well and truly covered on the world stage! Discover the full schedule, including where to watch the action, in our complete guide below.

Liam Lawson: Formula One World Championship

• Where? Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Friday 2:30 pm
  • Practice 2: Friday 6:00 pm
  • Practice 3: Saturday 2:30 pm
  • Qualifying: Saturday 6:00 pm
  • Grand Prix: Sunday 5:00 pm
• How to watch: SkySport 3

Liam Lawson makes his highly anticipated debut with Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix. This marks a momentous occasion for New Zealand motorsport, as Lawson steps into one of the most sought-after seats in the sport. While Red Bull’s pre-season testing performance placed them behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes, the true picture remains unclear until qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

Lawson’s experience consists of eleven previous Grand Prix starts, yielding three ninth-place finishes. Notable among these was his impressive race from the back of the grid to score points at COTA. His first competitive laps at Albert Park will be during the opening practice session on Friday at 2:30 pm NZT.

Louis Sharp: Formula 3 Championship

• Where? Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Friday 10:50 am
  • Qualifying: Friday 4:00 pm
  • Sprint Race: Saturday 1:15 pm
  • Feature Race: Sunday 11:00 am
• How to watch: SkySport 3

Seventeen-year-old Louis Sharp joins the excitement, making his debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport. Fresh from consecutive title wins in British F4 (2023) and the GB3 Championship (2024), Sharp aims to continue his winning streak. This season introduces a new Dallara-built single-seater, levelling the playing field. While Albert Park presents a new challenge, Sharp’s previous successes suggest he’ll be a strong contender, with action kicking off on Friday.

Matthew Payne, Andre Heimgartner, Jaxon Evans, Ryan Wood, Richie Stanaway: Supercars Championship

• Where? Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Thursday 1:05 pm
  • Practice 2: Thursday 3:25 pm
  • Qualifying 1: Thursday 5:25 pm
  • Qualifying 2: Thursday 5:50 pm
  • Race 1: Thursday 7:50 pm
  • Race 2: Friday 4:50 pm
  • Qualifying 3: Saturday 11:05 am
  • Qualifying 4: Saturday 11:25 am
  • Race 3: Saturday 7:40 pm
  • Race 4: Sunday 12:25 pm
• How to watch: SkySport 3

The Supercars Championship returns this weekend to Albert Park with a strong Kiwi contingent. It features Matthew Payne, Andre Heimgartner, Jaxon Evans, Ryan Wood, and Richie Stanaway.

The opening round of the season in Sydney delivered thrilling action, with Payne leading the Kiwi pack. He holds fifth place in the standings after three top-six finishes in Sydney. Heimgartner follows in tenth, while Evans and Wood are close behind in 13th and 14th. Stanaway, faced a challenging start with PremiAir Racing, sits 25th and last after a difficult opening round.

This weekend features four races: one 19-lap race on Thursday, two more 19-lap races on Friday and Saturday. They are followed by a final 14-lap race on Sunday, preceding the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Marco Giltrap and Clay Osborne: Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

• Where? Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Thursday 12:10 pm
  • Qualifying: Thursday 2:30 pm
  • Race 1: Thursday 6:50 pm
  • Race 2: Friday 8:25 pm
  • Race 3: Saturday 8:45 pm
• How to watch: SkySport 3

Marco Giltrap and Clay Osborne will continue their campaigns in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, with Round 2 of the season kicking off this weekend. Both drivers showed promising speed in Sydney, with Giltrap achieving a top-five qualifying spot and top-six finishes in all three races. Osborne, in only his third start, managed a strong qualifying performance and a top-ten finish in Race 1. Giltrap sits fifth overall, while Osborne is in thirteenth.

Shane van Gisbergen: NASCAR Cup Series

• Where? Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Sunday 6:35 am
  • Qualifying: Sunday 7:40 am
  • Race: Monday 8:30 am
• How to watch: ThreeNow (race only)

Shane van Gisbergen returns in the NASCAR Cup Series for Round 5 of the 2025 season. This is taking place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 1.5-mile tri-oval presenting a unique challenge. After getting caught out in a pile-up in Phoenix, Van Gisbergen aims for a better outcome, returning with Red Bull sponsorship this weekend for Trackhouse Racing. He’ll hope to improve on his last visit to Las Vegas, which saw a 34th qualifying position and a 29th-place finish due to balance issues.

Earl Bamber, Brendon Hartley, Scott Dixon, Tom Blomqvist and Hunter McElrea: IMSA Sportscar Championship

• Where? Sebring International Raceway, Florida
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Friday 3:05 am
  • Practice 2: Friday 8:05 am
  • Qualifying: Saturday 4:25 am
  • 12 Hour: Sunday 3:00 am
• How to watch: YouTube or IMSA TV

Nine Kiwis will be participating at Sebring this weekend, either running in or supporting the IMSA Sportscar Championship twelve-hour endurance race. Five Kiwis are competing in the 12-hour, with four in the GTP (Hypercar) class. Earl Bamber is in the #31 Cadillac, Brendon Hartley the #40 Cadillac, and Scott Dixon and Tom Blomqvist are sharing the #60 Acura entry. Hunter McElrea aims to defend his Michelin Endurance Cup LMP2 Championship title, continuing in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07.

Ryan Yardley and Madeline Stewart: Porsche Carrera Cup North America

• Where? Sebring International Raceway, Florida
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Thursday 2:40 am
  • Practice 2: Thursday 7:10 am
  • Qualifying: Friday 2:15 am
  • Race 1: Friday 9:55 am
  • Race 2: Saturday 11:15 am
• How to watch: YouTube or IMSA TV

Ryan Yardley and Madeline Stewart join the IMSA action for the opening round of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Yardley, returning with Topp Racing, hopes to build on his second-place finish in 2024. Stewart is returning for her second season, aiming to improve on her 15th-place finish in the previous year of racing.

Brendon Leitch and William Bamber: Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America

• Where? Sebring International Raceway, Florida
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Friday 4:55 am
  • Race 1: Friday 10:55 am
  • Race 2: Saturday 10:05 am
• How to watch: YouTube or IMSA TV

Brendon Leitch and William Bamber will round up the Kiwis in action in Sebring. The pair join Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America for the opening round of the season. Leitch a former Champion in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe makes the move to the North American series for 2025. He joins Anthony McIntosh in the #69 car, while fellow Kiwi Bamber will be aboard the #29 alongside Elias De La Torre.

Cormac Buchanan: Moto3 World Championship

• Where? Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina
• NZ Times:
  • Free Practice 1: Saturday 1:00 am
  • Practice: Saturday 5:15 am
  • Free Practice 2: Sunday 12:40 am
  • Qualifying 1: Sunday 4:50 am
  • Qualifying 2: Sunday 5:15 am
  • Race: Monday 4:00 am
• How to watch: ThreeNow

Cormac Buchanan makes his second Moto3 appearance at the Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix this weekend. Despite a difficult debut marked by early race contact, Buchanan demonstrated strong pace, recovering to 15th place in Thailand. He aims to showcase his speed and build on his first point-scoring race this weekend!

This promises to be an unforgettable weekend for New Zealand motorsport fans worldwide. The global stage is set for these talented Kiwis to shine!

Image: Oracle Red Bull Racing Facebook