'I think it's a tactic': Jones suspects Ford rivals' ploy
Supercars
09 Jul
Brad Jones suspects Ford rivals' ploy over parity comments
Triple Eight followed by four Ford teams in teams' championship
Triple Eight has claimed nine of Chevrolet's 10 wins this year
Brad Jones believes Ford' teams complaints over parity are a "tactic," despite Blue Oval squads holding sway behind championship leaders Triple Eight.
Through six rounds in 2025, Red Bull Ampol Racing holds a commanding lead, and has claimed nine of Chevrolet's 10 wins. Matt Stone Racing is the other winning Camaro squad, courtesy of Cameron Hill in Melbourne.
Ford's eight wins have been spread across Tickford Racing, Penrite Racing and Walkinshaw Andretti United, with Dick Johnson Racing and Blanchard Racing Team also scoring podiums.
Currently, Triple Eight is immediately trailed by four of Ford's five teams, with BJR the second highest ranked Chevrolet team in the championship.
Triple Eight also accounts for 19 of Chevrolet's 27 podiums this season, with six for MSR and singles for BJR and Team 18. Erebus Motorsport and PremiAir Racing have yet to claim a podium this year.
Recent rounds have seen a number of Ford team bosses and drivers comment on engine performance; notably, Ryan Wood showed caution over his practice pace in Darwin, while Walkinshaw Andretti United Team Principal Carl Faux said: "All the Ford teams are doing a magnificent job with what they’ve got. But engine performance was no different to any other event. Looking at the speed trap data, the Mustangs were 2km/h down on the opposition."
Jones wasn't buying it, saying on The BJR Run Down podcast: “If you look back and see where we were 12 months ago, we were really struggling.
“We were one of the worst teams in pit lane, and you look at it now, we’re the second-best performing Chev team based on the teams' championship.
“If you take Triple Eight out, who win whether they're in a Ford or a GM product, and you take Blanchards out at the other end, it's all Fords and then it's all the GMs.
"So, I find it interesting listening to all the parity chat from a lot of the Ford guys — at the moment, when you look at the teams' championship, it's stacked very heavily one way."
Jones added: "I think it is a tactic. I mean, they're doing the same lap time is a GM car, so they're getting their speed somewhere.
"Clearly, if they're not going as fast in a straight line, they must be generating more downforce, because when you look at the torque and the horsepower lines, they're the same pretty much with both brands.
“You're always looking for something that gives you an advantage. It's motorsport.
“You can look at a number and go, 'Hey, we’re weak here.' Interestingly, Groves don't seem to be complaining about it and they’re the best performing Ford team at the moment.
“It's the politics of the sport, right?"
BJR, which will join WAU in the Toyota fold next year, currently has Andre Heimgartner holding a provisional Finals spot in eighth, despite the Kiwi failing to claim a podium this season to date.
