Van Gisbergen ranked 10th in global drivers list

Shane van Gisbergen has earned global recognition by Autosport magazine for a fifth time, complete with a career-high ranking.

Van Gisbergen has been ranked 10th in Autosport's top 50 drivers of 2022 list.

It comes after the Kiwi was listed in 16th in 2021 after he won his second Supercars championship.

He was ranked 28th in 2016 — the year he won his first title — before listings of 39th in 2018 and 47th in 2020.

The top 50 drivers are ranked by the magazine's experienced and respected array of journalists.

Van Gisbergen’s 2022 featured a record 21 wins — including a second Bathurst win — en route to a third Supercars title.

The 33-year-old finished on the podium 27 times in 34 starts — a new Supercars record.

He also debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and made rally starts in Australia and New Zealand.

The top 50 list was dominated by Formula 1 drivers, with five F1 drivers in the top 10 alone.

Red Bull star and 2022 champion Max Verstappen topped the list ahead of Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc.

Kalle Rovanpera — the youngest ever WRC champion — was third ahead of Mercedes F1 duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Formula E champion Stoffel Vandoorne, IndyCar duo Josef Newgarden and Will Power, and McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris rounded out the top nine.

Van Gisbergen notably outranked NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano (11th) and F1 veteran Fernando Alonso (13th).

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver was the only Supercars driver to place in the rankings.

Van Gisbergen won a record 21 races, including Bathurst

Supercars drivers have long been recognised by Autosport, with Jamie Whincup ranked 40th overall for drivers between 2002 and 2021.

Whincup was a fixture of the Autosport top 50 nine times between 2002 and 2021.

Scott McLaughlin was listed each time he won the title; 38th in 2018, 14th in 2019 and 13th in 2020.

56-time Supercars race winner McLaughlin, who won three IndyCar races in 2022, was listed 28th in this year's rankings.

Cam Waters was also 40th on the 2020 list in a year he finished second overall.

Mark Winterbottom was 41st in 2015, the year he won his first title.

The van Gisbergen Autosport entry features an interview with engineer Andrew Edwards, who described the driver as an “animal”.

“I’ve been lucky to work with some really good drivers,” Edwards said.

“They’ve all got talent and feel and good feedback and things like that.

"But what really sets Shane apart is his ability to race. And his ability to pass.

“For lack of a better word, he’s an animal in that moment. He loves the chase and he thrives with the challenge.

“Just when you think he can’t go any faster, if he’s got a sniff of it, he pulls another gear.

"That’s where I've stood back at times and been so impressed.”

Van Gisbergen is currently in his native New Zealand preparing for his Sprint Car debut on Boxing Day.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle next March.

Tickets are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.