The New Zealand Grand Prix, sometimes known as the New Zealand International Grand Prix, is an annual
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
event held in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. First held in
1950, it is best known for hosting rounds of the
Tasman Series
The Tasman Series (formally the Tasman Championship for Drivers)Tasman Championship for Drivers, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport with National Competition Rules 1974, pages 80 to 83 was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 ove ...
in the 1960s and 1970s. It is currently run as the signature race of the
Toyota Racing Series
The Formula Regional Oceania Championship is New Zealand's premier formula racing category. The series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. ...
.
It is one of only two current national
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
events that are not part of the
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
World Championship, the other being the
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...
.
History
The race was once an important race on the international calendar, most notably when it was a part of the Tasman Series. In this era, several contemporary Formula One drivers would compete in the race, often with great success. Six Formula One
World Drivers' Champions have won the New Zealand Grand Prix, including three-time champions
Sir Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One World Champion in , , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name.
Brabham was a Ro ...
and
Sir Jackie Stewart.
In the years following the demise of the Tasman Series, Formula One drivers did not regularly compete in extra-curricular races, and as such the New Zealand Grand Prix lost many of its big-name entrants. It was run for smaller local or continental formulae in the 1990s and 2000s such as
Formula Holden
Formula Holden was an Australian open wheel racing category introduced in 1989.
History
Known during its development as Formula Australia, it was initially for chassis constructed from aluminium only, running a 3.8-litre Buick V6 engine a ...
.
From 2006 to 2020, the race was run as part of the Toyota Racing Series, which has gained international prominence due to the championship being held over the Northern Hemisphere winter. This has resulted in many international drivers, particularly young
developmental driver
A driver development program (or driver development team) is a system or structure designed for young kart and race car drivers to learn and perfect their racing skills. These programmes are devised by racing teams, external companies and funded ...
s, joining the championship in their traditional off-season, thus restoring a level of prestige to the event.
It is seen as a stepping stone to larger open-wheeler classes, such as
Formula 3
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...
, and beyond, and drivers such as
Daniil Kvyat
Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat ( rus, Дании́л Вячесла́вович Квят, p=dənʲɪˈil vʲɪtɕɪˈslavəvʲɪtɕ ˈkvʲat; born 26 April 1994) is a Russian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2014– ...
,
Alex Lynn
Alexander George Lynn (born 17 September 1993) is a British racing driver. He most recently competed in Formula E, driving for Mahindra Racing in the 2021 season, winning the second race of his home ePrix in London. Lynn has also competed full- ...
,
Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since , having previously driven for Williams and R ...
and
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Formul ...
have competed in the race and then gone on to compete as race or test drivers in Formula One.
From 2023, it will be part of the
Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
In its history, the race has been held in eight different locations across New Zealand.
Pukekohe Park Raceway in
Pukekohe
Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is in South Auckland, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. Th ...
has been the most common venue, with the race being held there 29 times. The
Circuit Chris Amon, formerly Manfeild Autocourse, in
Feilding
Feilding ( mi, Aorangi) is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council.
Feilding has ...
hosted the event between 2008 and 2020.
Hampton Downs Motorsport Park
The Hampton Downs Motorsport Park is situated in rural northern Waikato (about halfway between Auckland and Hamilton on the Waikato Expressway), New Zealand near the Meremere drag strip and the dirt track club.
History
The motorsport park is a ...
, which had campaigned to host the event for several years, became the new host of the event in 2021. Due to travel restrictions caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the 2021 event was only contested by New Zealand drivers, with
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport.
Supercars events take place in all Australian ...
regulars
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver in the Supercars Championship racing in the Number 97 Holden ZB Commodore car for Triple Eight Race Engineering. With three Supercars Championship wins (2016, 2021, 202 ...
and
Andre Heimgartner
Andre Heimgartner (born 8 June 1995) is a New Zealand motor-racing driver who currently competes in the Repco Supercars Championship driving the No. 8 Holden Commodore ZB for Brad Jones Racing.
Career
Formula racing
At 12 years of age commenc ...
joining the field alongside past winners
Greg Murphy
Gregory Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first internati ...
and
Ken Smith, who contested his 50th New Zealand Grand Prix. Van Gisbergen won the event, despite starting from pitlane due to a pre-race issue.
Winners
![Ohakea Track Map (1950)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Ohakea_Track_Map_%281950%29.png)
;Notes
* – The Manfeild Autocourse was renamed the Circuit Chris Amon in late 2016.
Multiple winners
By driver
By constructor
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110303011741/http://www.motorsport.org.nz/the-new-zealand-grand-prix/
{{New Zealand Toyota Racing Series
Auto races in New Zealand
National Grands Prix
Recurring sporting events established in 1950
1950 establishments in New Zealand
Tasman Series