Can an F1 driver handle a stock car? Red Bull puts its drivers to the test

Worlds collided when Trackhouse Racing teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch met up with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in Texas earlier this year. All four Red Bull athletes got together to see what would happen when you put an F1 driver in a stock car on a dirt oval no less.

Van Gisbergen is a three-time Supercars champion who became a full-time NASCAR driver after his stunning Cup win debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Course race. Zilisch is no slouch either as one of the biggest rising stars in the world of stock car racing, this year winning his Xfinity debut race at just 18 years old and snagging a class win in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. 

Both were there to coach the F1 pilots as they learned their way around the track. Tsunoda, who is currently competing in his fourth full-time season as an F1 driver, was paired with Zilisch. To the surprise of none, SVG selected his fellow Kiwi (Lawson).

With a handy ‘Dirt 101’ whiteboard, the NASCAR stars informed Tsunoda and Lawson of what awaited them in the challenges ahead. They explained the cars and how they operate, but perhaps it would have been simpler to invoke the immortal words of Doc Hudson: “Turn right to go left.”

With help from their NASCAR coaches, the two drivers started their test with ‘finding the line’ — keeping the car within two bollards while ripping around the track. Tsunoda nailed it on his first try, but it didn’t go as smoothly for Lawson. SVG noted he wanted Lawson “up on the fence,” but Lawson perhaps took that too literally, clobbering one of the outer bollards that lined the wall. However, he had a bit of redemption in the ‘cornering speed’ test that followed as Tsunoda lost the tail and spun out. Yes, swear words did come across the radio, but would we have expected anything else? 

Now on equal ground, it’s on to qualifying where Tsunoda re-asserted himself with a lap time a few tenths faster than Lawson. It gave Tsunoda the preferred line for the start with the two NASCAR drivers spotting them from above. Zilisch carefully explained where the acceleration zone was but the fiery Japanese driver wasn’t very interested. “I’m going whenever I want so tell Liam that,” he radioed.

Liam Lawson

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Meanwhile, SVG had some very NASCAR-esque advice for his countryman. “You’re also on the inside for Turn 1 so don’t be afraid to feed him a right rear.” 

Tsunoda took early control but Lawson was fighting hard to stay with him over the course of the five-lap sprint race. He did feed him that right rear about halfway through the race, but Tsunoda seemed unfazed and carried on. In a slide job that would make dirt racing ace (and 2021 NASCAR Cup champion) Kyle Larson proud, Lawson absolutely sent it in on Tsunoda to finally take the lead. Although he completely cleared him, Tsunoda was clever enough to cross back under him and snag the victory.

In fact, Tsunoda’s only hiccup was holding the trophy backwards during the post-race celebrations, but a pressing question remains: When do we get to see them face off against their NASCAR counterparts?

You can watch and enjoy the shenanigans in the Red Bull Motorsports video below.