Shane van Gisbergen’s former teammate shares history with 7-time F1 champion and an IndyCar star

Shane van Gisbergen's former teammate, Alexandre Premat, showed up at the last US F1 race in Las Vegas. Premat caught up with several F1 personalities, including his former GP2 teammate and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Premat is a 42-year-old French native who had renowned teammates in his racing career. He ran alongside Hamilton in the GP2 series (known today as Formula 2) under the ART Grand Prix team in 2006 before winning the Pirtek Enduro Cup with teammate Shane van Gisbergen in 2016.

In addition, the French driver competed alongside IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin, with the duo winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2019.

Alex Premat took to Instagram to share his experience at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. He had a photo op with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 stars, including team boss Toto Wolff and his buddy Lewis Hamilton.

In a report by Sports Gazette in 2018, Alexandre Premat said Lewis Hamilton stayed the same through the years, even after winning multiple F1 championship titles.

"I still see him every year when I go to a Grand Prix. Whenever I’m with him, I’m sitting with him for 20-25 minutes speaking, just like in 2006. For me, he is the same person, his personality and passion is the same," Premat stated.

During his run with Shane van Gisbergen at the Pirtek Enduro Cup, the duo had one race win and three second-place finishes. They were crowned the champion, making them the first non-Australian driver combination to achieve the feat.

While Premat previously competed in the IMSA-sanctioned Michelin Pilot Challenge, SVG is heading to the NASCAR Cup Series as a full-time driver next year. He will drive alongside Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez for Trackhouse Racing.

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Shane van Gisbergen shares excitement for 2025 season with Trackhouse Racing

Last August, Trackhouse Racing announced that Shane van Gisbergen would join the team and drive its new No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for the 2025 season. He will compete in the Cup Series next year following his full-time schedule in this year's Xfinity Series season.

In a statement via NASCAR, SVG said:

“It’s been a pretty awesome 18 months."

“Yeah, it’s been a huge life change, as Justin [Trackhouse Racing owner] said, and everything he said was going to happen has happened. I never thought it would happen this quick and I’m very glad we’ve done the learning year this year in Xfinity. Kaulig Racing has been great to work with, and then also a lot more races to finish the year now."

The 35-year-old Supercars champion expressed excitement over his full-time Cup Series schedule next year, saying:

Been a huge learning experience but just excited to get full-time in the Cup Series next year.”

Shane van Gisbergen won the Grant Park 220 in Chicago last year - Source: Imagn

Aside from his full-time Xfinity Series schedule, Shane van Gisbergen also entered select races in the premier series in 2023 and 2024. He notably won the 2023 Chicago Street race and finished second at Watkins Glen race last September.