2021 title van Gisbergen's to lose: Whincup
Jamie Whincup says the 2021 title is Shane van Gisbergen’s lose ahead of the season restart in Sydney.
Van Gisbergen has been a cut above in 2021, with the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver winning 11 of 19 races.
The 2016 champion will arrive in Sydney this weekend with a 276-point series lead over teammate Whincup.
Van Gisbergen has won 11 races to Whincup’s one, with Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters just 136 points behind Whincup in third.
“I’d certainly like to think so, I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” Whincup said of his chances of chasing down van Gisbergen.
“A full round of racing is 300 points. Shane is a full round ahead, it’s sort of his to lose.
“We’ll try to keep him honest over the next five race weekends.
“Really, for us at Red Bull Ampol Racing, as long as one car finishes on top, that’s the priority.”
Van Gisbergen has had Whincup's measure in 2021
Van Gisbergen and Whincup have a history of battles at Sydney Motorsport Park, none greater than their stoush in 2016.
In their first season as teammates, van Gisbergen and Whincup battled aggressively for the Saturday win.
After a thrilling 10-lap battle, van Gisbergen emerged with the victory, and would end the year as champion.
Back then, van Gisbergen had no intention to let Whincup past, with Whincup chasing his 100th career win.
The teammates battling in Sydney in 2016
Five years on, with Whincup heading towards retirement, nothing has changed.
Notably, van Gisbergen chased down and passed Whincup twice in Townsville.
The following weekend, Whincup pressured van Gisbergen, only for the New Zealander to again deny the seven-time champion.
“I have hinted to him that it’s my last year and it’d be nice for him to pull over and let me win,” Whincup joked.
SVG won the Saturday race in 2016
“His response was, ‘It’s not a charity’.
“We’ll race hard. We’ll obviously work together behind the scenes, but race hard and make sure that one Red Bull Ampol car finishes on top.
“If we could do a one-two, that would be absolutely fantastic."
The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship will continue at this weekend’s Bunnings Trade Sydney SuperNight. Tickets for all four upcoming Sydney events are on sale now.
All sessions will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and streamed via Kayo.
The Seven Network will broadcast live from 3:30pm AEDT on Saturday and 12:30pm AEDT on Sunday.
