KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 4-7 SEPTEMBER WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
Kiwi drivers are competing across Formula 1, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IndyCar, NASCAR, the CARS Tour, and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia this weekend, with events taking place in Italy, the United States, and China.
Liam Lawson will remain with Red Bull for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, continuing to fill in for the injured Isack Hadjar.
It will be Lawson’s second consecutive weekend with Red Bull after stepping into the car at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he qualified eighth and finished seventh. He now heads to Monza for another opportunity with the team at one of Formula 1’s fastest circuits.
In the United States, Brendon Hartley, Nick Cassidy and Earl Bamber will all be in action at Circuit of the Americas in Texas for the Lone Star Le Mans, the latest round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Hartley continues with Toyota Gazoo Racing, while Bamber will race for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA. Cassidy will also be on the grid with Peugeot TotalEnergies.
Liam Sceats and Chris van der Drift are in Shanghai for Round 5 of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Sceats returns from the championship’s mid-season break sitting second in the standings alongside teammate Gustaw Wiśniewski, with just two rounds remaining. Van der Drift will also be back on the grid as the championship enters its closing stages.
The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series comes to an end this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong contesting the Grand Prix of Monterey. The three Kiwis head to California for the final round of the season and one last opportunity to add to their results from the 2026 campaign.
Shane van Gisbergen has two different events on his schedule in South Carolina.
His NASCAR Cup Series campaign continues at Darlington Raceway following last weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona, where he missed out on a place in The Chase after Ryan Preece won the race and claimed the final spot.
Van Gisbergen will also make his CARS Tour Late Model debut at Florence Motor Speedway, adding another short-track oval appearance to his growing experience in American stock car racing.
With Lawson back in the Red Bull at Monza, three Kiwis racing in the Lone Star Le Mans, the IndyCar season wrapping up at Laguna Seca and van Gisbergen competing in both NASCAR and the CARS Tour, there is plenty of Kiwi interest across another busy weekend of international motorsport.
Check out our detailed weekend preview below for everything you need to know, including session times, how to watch, and who’s racing where. ⬇️
Liam Lawson | Formula 1
- Where? Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 10:30 PM
- Practice 2: Saturday 2:00 AM
- Practice 3: Saturday 10:30 PM
- Qualifying: Sunday 2:00 AM
- Grand Prix: Monday 1:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Liam Lawson will remain with Red Bull Racing for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, filling in for the injured Isack Hadjar for a second consecutive Formula 1 round.
Lawson made an impressive return to the senior Red Bull team at Zandvoort two weeks ago, qualifying eighth before finishing seventh in the Dutch Grand Prix. The Kiwi was just over a tenth of a second behind teammate Max Verstappen in qualifying and went on to score six points despite receiving a late penalty.
Lawson has since gained more valuable mileage in the RB22, completing 116 laps and more than 600 kilometres during a Pirelli tyre development test at Mugello.
Lawson now heads to Monza with considerably more time behind the wheel than he had before Zandvoort, where he was drafted into the team at short notice.
Red Bull has opted not to rush Hadjar back into competition as he continues to recover from the wrist injury suffered during the summer break, giving Lawson another full weekend alongside Verstappen.
The weekend will start slightly differently for Red Bull, with reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa taking over Verstappen’s car for Free Practice 1. Lawson is expected to complete the full opening session before Verstappen returns for FP2.
After a strong first weekend back with Red Bull, Lawson will be looking to carry that form into Monza as he takes on one of the fastest circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.
Brendon Hartley, Nick Cassidy and Earl Bamber | FIA World Endurance Championship
- Where? Circuit of the Americas, Texas
- NZ Times:
- Free Practice 1: Friday 4:30 AM
- Free Practice 2: Friday 9:00 AM
- Free Practice 3: Saturday 4:00 AM
- Qualifying: Saturday 8:40 AM
- Hyperpole: Saturday 9:00 AM
- Race: Sunday 6:00 AM
- How to Watch? FIAWEC+
Three Kiwis return to FIA World Endurance Championship action this weekend for the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Texas.
Earl Bamber enters the weekend off the back of a strong fourth-place finish in the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entry last time out, narrowly missing the podium.
Nick Cassidy will continue his campaign with Peugeot TotalEnergies in the #93 Peugeot 9X8 after finishing 16th at the previous round.
Brendon Hartley will be looking for a cleaner weekend with Toyota Racing after contact with the #17 Genesis left the #8 Toyota more than ten laps down following lengthy repairs in the pits. Hartley and his teammates eventually finished 17th.
All three will be back in Hypercar competition at COTA as the WEC season heads into its closing rounds.
Liam Sceats and Chris van der Drift | Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia
- Where? Shanghai Audi International Circuit, China
- NZ Times:
- Race 1: Saturday 6:45 PM
- Race 2: Sunday 2:45 PM
- How to Watch? Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube Channel
Liam Sceats and Chris van der Drift return to Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia action this weekend as the championship heads to Shanghai International Circuit for the penultimate round of the season.
Sceats and teammate Gustaw Wiśniewski arrive sitting second in the championship after taking their second overall victory of the season last time out at Inje Speedium in South Korea. The pair will be looking to close the gap at the top of the standings before the season finale.
Van der Drift also enjoyed a strong weekend in South Korea alongside Leipert Motorsport teammate Clay Osborne Kingsford. The pair won the Pro-Am class in both races, finishing second overall in Race 1 and third in Race 2.
With both Kiwis coming off strong results, Shanghai provides another opportunity for Sceats to strengthen his championship challenge, while van der Drift and Kingsford look to continue their Pro-Am form.
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong | NTT IndyCar Series
- Where? WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Saturday 9:00 AM
- Practice 2: Sunday 5:00 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 8:30 AM
- Final Practice: Sunday 12:00 PM
- Race: Monday 6:30 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong head to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend for the final round of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series.
McLaughlin arrives in California following a strong showing at the Milwaukee Mile, finishing fourth in Race 1 before claiming second in Race 2 after leading late in the race.
The weekend was tougher for Dixon and Armstrong. Armstrong finished ninth and 16th across the two races, while Dixon came home 18th and 15th.
With Alex Palou having already wrapped up his fifth IndyCar championship at Milwaukee, the three Kiwis head into Laguna Seca with one final opportunity to finish their 2026 campaigns on a high.
Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series & CARS Tour
- Where? Darlington Raceway & Florence Motor Speedway
- NZ Times:
- NASCAR Cup Series:
- Practice: Sunday 8:00 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 9:10 AM
- Race: Monday 9:00 AM
- CARS Tour:
- Feature Race: Saturday 12:00 PM
- How to Watch?
- NASCAR Cup Series: ThreeNow
- CARS Tour: Flo Sports
Shane van Gisbergen has a busy weekend ahead in South Carolina, combining his NASCAR Cup Series commitments at Darlington Raceway with his CARS Tour debut at Florence Motor Speedway.
The Kiwi heads to Darlington after a dramatic end to the Cup Series regular season at Daytona, where he entered 31 points above the cut line and won Stage 1 before Ryan Preece claimed victory and the final place in The Chase. Van Gisbergen finished 27th after being caught in a multi-car crash on the final lap.
Before turning his attention to Darlington, van Gisbergen will make his CARS Tour debut on Friday night, driving the Red Bull-backed #51 Hettinger Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the 125-lap Late Model Stock feature at Florence.
He will line up in a strong 30-car field as he continues to build his experience on American short tracks before returning to Cup Series action at Darlington.
Header Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
