KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 5-8 JUNE WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
It’s another busy weekend for Kiwi competitors on the international motorsport scene, with New Zealand drivers and riders in action across Formula 1, Formula 3, IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA, and Moto3 competition.
In Europe, Liam Lawson returns to Formula 1 action as the championship heads to Monaco for Round 6 of the season. The famous street circuit remains one of the sport’s biggest tests, with qualifying set to play a crucial role around the narrow streets of the principality.
Also racing in Monaco is Louis Sharp, who continues his Formula 3 campaign at the second round of the championship. The Kiwi youngster will take on one of the most challenging venues on the calendar as he looks to continue building experience in his rookie season.
Over in the United States, Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Armstrong are back in action in the NTT IndyCar Series for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The oval event marks Round 9 of the championship and is expected to provide plenty of action under the lights.
NASCAR Cup Series competition also continues this weekend, with Shane van Gisbergen heading to Michigan International Speedway. The Kiwi will be looking to continue his strong 2026 campaign as the series tackles one of its fastest tracks.
At Mid-Ohio, Madeline Stewart returns to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio. The endurance race is the fourth round of the season and another opportunity for Stewart to continue her development in the championship.
Meanwhile, Cormac Buchanan is back on track in the Moto3 World Championship as the series travels to Hungary for Round 8. The young Southlander will be aiming to build on the encouraging pace he showed last time out as his second season in the category continues.
From Monaco to Michigan and Mid-Ohio to Hungary, Kiwi drivers and riders will once again be representing New Zealand 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? Circuit De Monaco, Europe
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 11:30 PM
- Practice 2: Saturday 3:00 AM
- Practice 3: Saturday 10:30 PM
- Qualifying: Sunday 2:00 AM
- Race: Monday 1:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Liam Lawson heads to Monaco this weekend for Round 6 of the Formula 1 season after another points-scoring performance at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The Kiwi finished seventh in Montreal after a composed drive that saw him climb from 12th on the grid and successfully navigate the changing conditions. He then spent the closing laps defending from Pierre Gasly before securing six valuable championship points.
Lawson returns to Monaco with good memories from last year, having qualified ninth and gone on to finish eighth around the famous street circuit.
➡️Canadian Grand Prix Full Recap HERE
With track position crucial and overtaking notoriously difficult in Monaco, Lawson will be aiming to make the most of qualifying as he looks to continue his recent run of solid results.
Louis Sharp | Formula 3
- Where? Circuit De Monaco, Europe
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Thursday 11:25 PM
- Qualifying (Group A): Friday 9:05 PM
- Qualifying (Group B): Friday 9:29 PM
- Sprint Race: Saturday 8:45 PM
- Race: Sunday 5:45 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Louis Sharp returns to Formula 3 action this weekend as the championship heads to Monaco for Round 2 of the 2026 season.
The Kiwi has not raced since the opening round in Melbourne back in March, where a promising feature race ended early after contact with PREMA teammate James Wharton. Sharp had charged from 13th on the grid into the top 10 and was running strongly before the pair collided in a heavy crash that brought out a red flag and ended both drivers’ races.
After several months away from competition, Sharp now turns his attention to one of the most famous circuits in motorsport as he takes on the tight streets of Monaco.
With overtaking opportunities limited around the principality, qualifying will be crucial as Sharp looks to kick-start his Formula 3 campaign and build momentum heading into the remainder of the season.
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong | NTT IndyCar Series
- Where? World Wide Technology Raceway, Illinois
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Sunday 4:30 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 8:30 AM
- Final Practice: Sunday 1:00 PM
- Race: Monday 1:00 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong return to IndyCar action this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway following a frustrating and incident-filled outing on the streets of Detroit.
McLaughlin was running strongly near the front for much of the race before contact with Will Power damaged his car, ultimately forcing his retirement. Dixon’s race also ended early after a battery issue left him stranded in pit lane, while Armstrong’s hopes were dented by a pit lane penalty after entering a closed pit lane during a caution period.
The Kiwi trio will now turn their attention to the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, the only short oval on this year’s IndyCar calendar.
➡️ Detroit Full Recap HERE
After a race where none of the three New Zealanders reached the finish without trouble, World Wide Technology Raceway offers an immediate opportunity to get their campaigns back on track.
Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series
- Where? Michigan International Speedway. USA
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Sunday 9:00 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 10:10 AM
- Race: Monday 7:00 AM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
Shane van Gisbergen heads to Michigan International Speedway this weekend after producing his strongest oval performance of the NASCAR Cup Series season at Nashville.
The Kiwi spent much of the race battling inside the top 10 and even led laps after a two-tyre strategy call put him at the front of the field.
Van Gisbergen showed impressive pace throughout the event, racing wheel-to-wheel with some of NASCAR’s biggest names before bringing home a fifth-place finish in a race heavily affected by cautions and brake failures.
➡️ Nashville Full Recap HERE
This weekend presents a different challenge at the high-speed Michigan International Speedway, where drivers will tackle one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR calendar.
Fresh off a confidence-boosting result in Nashville, van Gisbergen will be looking to carry that momentum into another important weekend as he continues to build experience in stock car racing’s top category.
Madeline Stewart | IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
- Where? Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Saturday 7:25 AM
- Practice 2: Sunday 2:45 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 8:10 AM
- Race: Monday 4:15 AM
- How to Watch? IMSA Official YouTube
Madeline Stewart returns to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge action this weekend as the championship heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio.
The Kiwi driver will once again team up with Czabok-Simpson Motorsport (CSM) for Round 4 of the season as she continues her debut campaign in one of North America’s leading sports car categories.
It has been a challenging start to the year for Stewart, with results not always reflecting the progress being made as she adapts to a new championship and highly competitive field. Despite the setbacks, the New Zealander continues to gain valuable experience with every race weekend.
The four-hour endurance event at Mid-Ohio presents another opportunity for Stewart and the CSM team to turn that progress into a strong result as they look to build momentum through the middle stages of the season.
Cormac Buchanan | Moto3
- Where? Balaton Park, Hungary
- NZ Times:
- Free Practice 1: Friday 7:00 PM
- Practice: Friday 11:15 PM
- Free Practice 2: Saturday 6:40 PM
- Qualifying 1: Saturday 10:45 PM
- Qualifying 2: Saturday 11:10 PM
- Race: Sunday 9:00 PM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
Cormac Buchanan heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend encouraged by a significant step forward in form at Mugello.
While the Kiwi ultimately finished 19th in the Moto3 race, the result did not reflect the pace he showed throughout the weekend. Buchanan was consistently within a second of the fastest riders in every session, progressed through Q1 and into Q2 for the third time this season, and spent much of the race battling within reach of the lead group.
After several injury-affected rounds earlier in the year, Mugello provided further evidence that the Southlander is returning to the level he showed before his setbacks.
Now Buchanan turns his attention to Round 8 of the championship in Hungary, determined to convert that renewed pace into a result. With confidence growing and valuable momentum on his side, Buchanan will be looking to continue his upward trajectory as the second half of the season approaches.
Header Image: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
