Whincup reverses safety car criticism
Seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has conceded he went too far with his controversial comments after Sunday’s race at Pukekohe.
Whincup made a mistake going past the safety car when it didn’t have its green lights on during an action-packed race.
It meant Whincup was given a drive through penalty when leading, which ended his chances of victory and he eventually finished the race in 16th place.
In an interview soon after the end of the race, a fired up Whincup unleashed on the officials, who he believed made a mistake in putting the safety car in front of him, rather than the eventual winner Scott McLaughlin.
‘‘They should have green lights on. I wasn’t the leader of the race,’’ Whincup said.
‘‘The problem is you’ve got all the drivers, everyone here, this is our life, and we’re pushing bloody hard and you’ve got people making decisions that are, you know, just cruising back having a few glasses of red each night . . . rock up to the track, the brain’s not with it, you know.
‘‘They’re not operating at the same level as what the teams are operating at.’’
Whincup was subsequently issued ‘please explain’ letter by the sport’s governing body, CAMS and could be sanctioned for comments against the interest of the sport.
But after time to reflect, Whincup issued a statement on Monday, where he said he realised he’d made mistakes.
‘‘Now that the heat of the battle has subsided, I’ve had a chance to reflect on Sunday’s race,’’ Whincup said.
‘‘I without fail give 110 percent in every race and that inevitably leads to passions running high.
‘‘This passion spreads throughout the whole team and we had worked incredibly hard to put ourselves into a great position on Sunday.
‘‘I have asked myself today though, ‘were my comments postrace helpful’? The answer to that is no.
‘‘I’m a big believer in helping people to do their jobs to the best of their ability and that’s what I should have focused on instead of criticising.
‘‘While I knew I wasn’t the leader of the race, and despite my engineer confidently telling me over the radio to not get held up by the safety car, the lights in front of me were orange.
‘‘Every athlete in any sport needs to follow the directions of the officials, whether they feel the correct decision was made or not.
‘‘I recognise I am a role model. To all the kids watching is that passing the safety car and going against the officials’ decision isn’t how we should play.
‘‘In hindsight I wish I made a smarter split-second decision.’’