The quote
Shane van Gisbergen, the New Zealand-born racing driver currently doing rookie season in NASCAR (and doing it surprisingly well, let me say), went on The Rock’s Morning Rumble in Auckland last week and was asked, in a rapid-fire round, his opinion of Marmite.
His exact words: “vomit in a can.”
Lovely. A racing driver delivers commitment to the bit at 200 miles an hour, and apparently also at the breakfast table.
Two small problems with the quote
First, Marmite does not come in a can. It comes in a glass jar, and has done since 1902. So already we are off to a slightly shaky start, factually.
Second, and more importantly: he is a Kiwi. He grew up on Sanitarium-made New Zealand Marmite, which is sweeter and thicker than the British original (have you ever tried Kiwi Marmite?). He has also, presumably, eaten his share of Vegemite, which is the actual antipodean spread that the Brits have spent a hundred years gently mocking.
So when Shane van Gisbergen says he hates Marmite, what he really means is “I hate Sanitarium NZ Marmite, possibly also Vegemite, and have not at this point in my life had a serious encounter with the proper British jar”. Which is the polite British way of saying the man’s whole hate-Marmite premise is built on the wrong product.
What this is, properly
This is the rare case of a celebrity Marmite-hate quote where the celebrity is not actually hating Marmite. He is hating one of Marmite’s cousins. That makes it actually less interesting than the genuinely-hostile celebrity quotes from people who definitely have tried the British one and still consider it a war crime.
(See Madonna in 2014, who definitely had eaten the British one and described it as “vile”. That was a real Marmite-hate moment. This one is more of a misidentification.)
A standing offer
Shane, if you ever happen through London on a sponsor week, the offer is this: a proper jar of British Marmite, a toaster, a knife, some good butter, and a piece of sourdough. No tablespoon-sized scoops. A thin scrape. Done correctly, the way it has been done since you were not yet born. If you still hate it, fair play, but you will at least be hating the right product.
The Hate Party will be disappointed to lose you, but the Love Party can survive without you.
In the meantime, congratulations on the rookie season. The Mexico City road course was genuinely impressive.
Source: The Rock’s Morning Rumble, Auckland, 27 August 2025.
