Whincup has zero margin for error

JAMIE Whincup has admitted his dream of winning an eighth Supercars crown could be shot down by just one crash.

Set to resume his title assault when the Supercars championship resumes in Darwin this week with the Triple Crown, the V8 immortal said a single mistake could hand Scott McLaughlin a championship three-peat and end his record-extending bid.

With the possibility of just another five rounds left in a COVID-19 slashed season, Whincup declared every battle was make or break.

“No one knows what is going to happen with the rest of the season,” Whincup said.

“We don’t know what the future holds.

“The goalposts keep on moving and we are just doing everything we can to keep the sport alive. It means every race is vital.”

Set to unleash a new Ampol livery following the return of the oil giant as a sponsor, Whincup said McLaughlin’s early season dominance had piled on the pressure.

The DJR Team Penske star leads Whincup by 107 points after just eight races in what has been a coronavirus smashed season.

“We have only had three full rounds and Scott has won them all,” Whincup said.

“He is leading the championship and is in a good place. We don’t how long the season will be so whoever ends up winning the championship will well and truly deserve it.

“There are going to be less rounds and it has been bloody difficult to keep momentum and every round is more valuable than it once was.”

Whincup declared Red Bull Holden Racing needed to find more speed to be able to stop McLaughlin. .

“We need to do a better job. We have to be quicker and we can only take points away if we go faster. It is simple,” he said. “We need to make gains and move forward.”

Set to lock horns with McLaughlin in three races at Hidden Valley from Saturday, Whincup said his team may have to take risks in order to catch the flying Ford.

“We do have to try things,” Whincup said.