Van Gisbergen bullish about prospects with new engineer
Shane van Gisbergen says Andrew Edwards is "settling in very good" ahead of the duo’s first race meeting together.
Edwards will be van Gisbergen’s third different race engineer at Red Bull Ampol Racing in as many years.
Van Gisbergen was skippered by Grant McPherson between 2016 and 2020, the two combining for championship and Bathurst success.
McPherson left for Walkinshaw Andretti United, and was replaced by David Cauchi.
Van Gisbergen and Cauchi combined to win 14 races and a championship last year.
Cauchi has since joined Grove Racing as its team principal.
Veteran Edwards joins Triple Eight from Brad Jones Racing, having recently engineered Nick Percat.
Van Gisbergen and Edwards has their first day together with the #97 Commodore in Ipswich pre-season testing last month.
For van Gisbergen, that day proved eye-opening for both driver and engineer as they tackled their new relationship head on.
However, the Kiwi was pleased by the early signs.
"It was very different," van Gisbergen said of his first day with Edwards in his ear.
"He comes from a very different team, a smaller family team. The way we work is quite different to them.
"He’s settling in very good, the preparation has been intense.
Edwards at the recent pre-season test
"It’s been great getting to know him, but it’s still the honeymoon.
"Once the racing starts and the pressure adds up… we’ll see how it goes.
"But at the moment, it’s been really good."
Aside from working together at Gen3 prototype testing at the start of the year, van Gisbergen and Edwards only have the pre-season test to their name.
It will be a baptism of fire - or water, rather - as drivers gear up for this weekend’s Sydney season opener, which will be affected by rain.
The event will feature dual 300km races, and offers a taxing challenge for drivers to open a new season.
An off-season of change has van Gisbergen conscious of the team’s new dynamic.
Van Gisbergen on track testing in Ipswich
However, he says his crew is prepared to hit the ground running in Sydney.
"We’re as prepared as we can be," van Gisbergen said.
"There have been a lot of changes in our team, but for me, it’s the same car.
"Different engineer, different team boss. It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes.
"I’m ready for it, so let’s go."
Van Gisbergen has won seven races at Sydney Motorsport Park, which will play host to this weekend's return to racing.
Practice 1 in Sydney will commence on Friday at 3:15pm AEDT. CLICK HERE to view the race schedule.
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