Van Gisbergen backs Premat ahead of enduros

Premat will partner up with van Gisbergen for Red Bull Racing Australia at the three Supercars endurance races, meaning the Frenchman will play a crucial role in van Gisbergen’s title tilt.

What’s already the deep end is made deeper by the fact that Premat hasn’t actually raced a car since the Daytona 24 back in January, his 2016 programme otherwise limited to his driver coach role with the EXR Race Series in Las Vegas.

But while conceding there is a “question mark” over Premat’s race fitness, van Gisbergen says he’s not concerned over outright speed – particularly as Premat will arrive in Australia in Sunday before taking part in the team’s ride day at SMP on Monday, and then test again at Queensland Raceway on September 8.

“There will be no issues with his speed, he’s been the top guy on raw speed the last couple of years,” he told Fox Sports’s Inside Supercars.

“The racing is a bit of a question mark, but he’s going to have a lot time in the car. He’ll be here on the weekend, drive all Monday at the ride day, and some of Tuesday. And then a full test day as well.

“Alex will be no issue there. He’s in a car most weekends, he’s been in a car more than you think.”

Whincup “the same as everybody else”

Van Gisbergen reiterated to the Inside Supercars panel that the relationship between he and teammates Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes is still good, although admitted that the title fight could make things tense later in the season.

“It’s probably better than the Mercedes F1 garage,” he joked.

“We get on fine, all three of us. At Queensland Raceway we had a big three-way battle for the lead and it was awesome. We were all pumped about it afterwards.

“It’s been fine. If we’re racing each other for the championship in Sydney it’ll probably be tense, but at the moment… this season, at the start of the season, it was crazy how many people were winning races. We’ve had to work together, and we have.”

The Kiwi also poured cold water over the notion that he might have been intimidated coming up against the decade’s form man Whincup in the same team.

“I think he still puts his pants on one leg at a time, he’s the same as everyone else,” said van Gisbergen.

“We have the same car, and working together I know what set-up is in his car. We just race hard. He’s the same as everyone else, just with a few achievements to his name.”