Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Triple Eight "not feeling sorry" over poor 2019 Supercars results

Shane van Gisbergen says nobody at Holden Supercars squad Triple Eight is "feeling sorry for themselves" after a dominant start to the 2019 season for Ford's new Mustang

Triple Eight - which has won seven of the last 11 drivers' titles with current drivers Jamie Whincup and van Gisbergen - has only taken one win from the first 10 races of the 2019 season, with Ford Mustang drivers winning the other nine events.

The parity battle trying to stop a Mustang walkover

There have also been uncharacteristic reliability issues such as an engine failure and a lost wheel for van Gisbergen at Albert Park, before Whincup lost another wheel last time out at Phillip Island.

While van Gisbergen has the single win, which came at Symmons Plains Raceway, he is 256 points behind series leader and DJR Penske driver Scott McLaughlin.

Whincup faces overcoming a 379-point deficit if he is to win an eighth title at the end of this season.

"I've been here four years now and it's not like this is the first time things haven't gone exactly how we want them," van Gisbergen told the Red Bull website.

"It happens in sport all the time, doesn't it? "It's been challenging, but the atmosphere at the workshop has been pretty positive.

"Everyone's working hard and digging in, and nobody is feeling sorry for themselves."

Van Gisbergen played down the "sensitive subject" of aero parity in the wake of the changes forced on the Mustang, claiming his focus is always on his own team.

"Where we are, where the opposition is, that's quite a sensitive subject at the moment," he said.

"For me, the approach I've taken is to concentrate on my own car, what I do and to help make it as good as I possibly can. Make the most out of every race that I can.

"If I'm not in position to win, which has been the case for quite a few races, get the best out of it, whatever that best is.

"We had a good opportunity in Tassie (Symmons Plains) at a track that doesn't have many corners, and getting the most out of that meant we got a win that day, so that's the approach.

"I'm trying to focus more on myself as a driver and not all of the other stuff that's going on.

"Things I don't have an influence over or an understanding of, then that gets in the way of me doing my job as good as I can if I'm thinking about that as well as the driving side.

"Why are [DJR Penske] so fast? Is it the aero? Is it something else? I don't know, and it's not my job to know about that.

"Sure, it's been tough and nobody's crying for us, so I focus on what I can do and make the best of it."

For this weekend's Perth SuperNight race, McLaughlin delivered a track record qualifying time to take pole, while Whincup took third and van Gisbergen was sixth.

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article How Ford updated Mustang after controversial Supercars parity call
Next article Perth Supercars: Coulthard beats Penske team-mate McLaughlin in Perth

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe