Connor Zilisch eyes Formula 1 future with super license pathway and connections to Red Bull

Recently, on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast, 18-year-old racing prodigy Connor Zilisch weighed his future possibility of switching from NASCAR to Formula One. Speaking of his chances, the JR Motorsports newcomer said that they weren’t entirely “zero”.

Connor Zilisch drives the No. 88 Chevrolet full time for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team. With several ARCA wins under his belt and four Xfinity wins in two years, the Charlotte native is currently one of the most promising talents in the paddock.

Zilisch is also a Red Bull athlete. And with the new Cadillac team set to debut in F1 next year, the chances of Zilisch hitting the global stage don’t seem too far-fetched.

“It's always in the back of my mind,” Connor Zilisch told LaJoie (44:05). “Growing up, that was my dream. I wanted to race F1. I went to Europe when I was a kid, racing go-karts, and it's what I wanted to do. It's just..when I was younger, I didn't really have the chance.”

“And now, you know, with an American team getting brought to F1, having connections with Red Bull, being kind of tied in there, I'd say the chances aren't zero,” he added.

However, Zilisch also mentioned that if it were to happen at all, he would have to commit at least a year or two to even get enough super license points to qualify. During that time, he will have to race in F3, which happens to be a lower-tier series than F1.

Former Supercars champion falls short while battling Connor Zilisch at Sonoma.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen competed in last week’s Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway alongside his JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch. Named the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250, it marked the 19th race of the season.

The week before in Chicago, Gisbergen defeated Zilisch to the finishing line by a margin of 0.823 seconds. Gisbergen started that race from the pole position.

He did the same, coming to Sonoma as well. However, this time around, the Auckland native failed to hold off Connor Zilisch. Zilisch crossed the finish line first, 0.438 seconds ahead of Gisbergen.

“I couldn't do it without wrecking him, so just tried every trick I could," Gisbergen said during his post-race interview. "But he drove so well and couldn't get him. And I think it was the last lap into (Turn) 7, I got there but wheel-hopped, pushed him wide and yeah…could have gone but just waited. I didn't want to do it like that.”

Next up for Zilisch is the BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway. Scheduled for Saturday, July 19, the 200-lap race will be televised on the CW network 4:30 pm ET onwards with live radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.