Motorsport: SVG and Coulthard settle their differences

Shane van Gisbergen during practice ahead of V8 Supercars Sandown 500. Photo / Getty Images

Things got a little testy last weekend but Kiwi Supercars drivers Shane Van Gisbergen and Fabian Coulthard are mates again.

The relationship between the two New Zealanders reached breaking point in last Saturday's qualifying race ahead of the Sandown 500 in Melbourne when Van Gisbergen attempted to pass Coulthard's DJR Team Penske Ford but jumped across a curb and banged him off the track.

Coulthard dropped a couple of places and then made contact with Will Davison once he rejoined the track, which resulted in race control forcing him to slow down and slot in behind the Tekno driver.

Coulthard could be heard blowing up on the team radio.

Van Gisbergen admits it was his error but says Coulthard wasn't fully aware of what happened.

"I crashed into him on Saturday, which wasn't too good for our friendship but I went down and saw him," the Red Bull Racing Holden driver told Radio Sport.

"I just made a little error passing him. I turned in a little early and bounced off the curb into him. My mistake there but he was pretty livid about it until he saw the footage where I had mucked up.

"I think he had thought I had just driven into him."

The two Kiwis put that behind them on Sunday as they completed top six finishes in the main race.

"It is cool to have a couple of Kiwis up there in fast cars and the potential for other Kiwis to be up there as well," Van Gisbergen says.

Van Gisbergen now leads the championship while fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin has jumped to fourth in his Volvo.

The next round is at Bathurst.