Tough start already in rear- view mirror
JAMIE Whincup has vowed to hit back at this weekend’s Supercars round in Melbourne after his opening- round shocker on the streets of Adelaide, where he failed to finish a race for the first time since 2013.
With championship points on the line for the first time at the Australian Grand Prix round, the Red Bull Holden Racing Team star said his car was as good as new following a crash in Adelaide qualifying that hampered his challenge.
“It was a tough weekend at Adelaide,’’ Whincup said.
“I didn’t help things by stuffing it in the wall in the Friday and then we had a gearbox failure on the Sunday. But the car is all back to brand new and I am looking forward to going down to the AGP for the first time for points. Let’s see if we can claw a few of them back.
“There is a lot of water to run under the bridge between now and Newcastle ( the final round of the season). I am not panicking yet.”
The eight- time Supercars champion finished sixth in the season opening race in before a mechanical failure saw him suffer his first DNF in his last 136 race starts in the second Adelaide race.
The Holden hero is sitting in 18th place on the championship table ahead the four sprint races at the Formula One, which begins with qualifying today.
Whincup said the first ever V8 pit- stops at Albert Park would provide a Supercars spectacular.
“I didn’t mind it as a non- championship event because we always raced,’’ Whincup said. “We would all take those 50- 50 passes. You would see four or five cars coming into turn three after the race starts. The big change this weekend is pit- stops. That will be huge. And the fact that it will be for championship points, well it will be on.
“It will be great racing in front of a huge crowd and I think half of them come to watch the Supercars anyway.’’
Whincup said the all new ZB Commodore would be put to the test on the sweeping Formula One street circuit on the outskirts of Melbourne’s CBD.
“This will be the second test of the new generation Commodore,’’ Whincup said.
“Adelaide was a bumpy circuit with not much aerodynamics. This week with the fast- flowing circuit we will see a true test for the new aero. We are confident that it has a good balance but this weekend will really test it.’’
Whincup slammed suggestions that the new Commodore had an aerodynamic advantage over the Nissans and Fords.
“Our car in some ways was a little disadvantaged but we didn’t whinge about,’’ Whincup said.
“It is all swings and roundabouts. It is interesting now that it has turned the other way that they are all whingeing about it. If they want a carbon bonnet they can have it. It won’t make any difference.
“We did all the parity test and the car is the same as it was last year when it comes to downforce. Potentially we might have a little better balance.’’
The Formula One weekend begins today with Supercars practice and qualifying.
“The event itself is unbelievable,’’ Whincup said.