NASCAR star reveals how F1 champ Max Verstappen helped him win in Mexico City

NASCAR star Shane van Gisbergen has revealed that F1 champion Max Verstappen played a part in his Cup Series victory in Mexico City on Sunday.

In what was a rain-affected 100 laps of action with conditions constantly changing throughout, van Gisbergen dominated the Viva Mexico 250, winning by over 16 seconds come the black and white checkered flag - the biggest margin in the series since 2009.

A three-time Supercars champion, van Gisbergen is known as being a road course specialist, so it was no great surprise to see him do well in Mexico given the nature of the track.

However, it appears he also had inside information on the circuit courtesy of the reigning F1 champ.

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Shane van Gisbergen reveals Max Verstappen advice

Speaking to the media after his victory, van Gisbergen revealed that he reached out to Verstappen pre-race and that the Dutch driver had given him a 'little leg up' on his rivals.

“I just look for every advantage I can,” the Trackhouse Racing driver explained.

“I know he’s [Verstappen] raced here in the rain, and he’s a friend of mine, and I walked out onto 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.”

If you had to go to anyone for driving advice, a four-time world champion isn't a bad option, but given Verstappen's history at the circuit, it was an even more astute decision from van Gisbergen to reach out.

Verstappen has five victories at the Mexican Grand Prix, which is held at the same track that NASCAR raced at on Sunday, with victories in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

READ MORE: Kyle Larson and Carson Hocevar among NASCAR stars hit with penalties at Mexico City

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