Davison mystified by race pace drop-off

Will Davison is hoping his team can bridge the gap between "crazy" one-lap speed and race pace.

Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustangs have been the class of the field in qualifying this season.

Davison and De Pasquale have claimed five of nine poles, with a Shell Ford on pole at every round so far.

However, the team is winless through three rounds for the second time in as many seasons.

Shell Mustangs started on pole for the final three races at Albert Park, but wins went begging.

That’s not to say they weren’t fast; Davison podiumed in the final two races, with De Pasquale joining him in the finale.

Davison admitted the race pace of Shane van Gisbergen and Chaz Mostert, who shared the four Melbourne wins, was superior.

'It’s crazy, we're so fast over a lap'

However, he remained mystified as to why he and De Pasquale lose time relative to their outstanding one-lap speed.

“It’s crazy, we’re so fast over a lap,” Davison said after Race 9.

“The car doesn’t feel bad, but we’re half a second, a second sometimes off these guys [in the race].

“I don’t know why we drop two seconds from qual; these guys [van Gisbergen and Mostert] don’t seem to drop too much at all.

“We can’t brake as we need; braking sectors are where we seem to be struggling.”

The spotlight is on the Shell Ford squad as it heads to Wanneroo Raceway, where it is undefeated since 2017.

The Blue Oval is winless in 13 races dating back to De Pasquale’s Sydney win last November.

Conversely, points leader van Gisbergen has never won in Perth; Mostert has won once, albeit back in 2014 aboard a Falcon.

Davison is confident his team will be on the pace once again, but a focus remains on sharpening the overall package.

“It's another very different style of circuit,” he said.

‘We haven’t been there since 2019.

“Our car will be strong, but we’ll keep trying to tidy up our weaknesses.

“There’s plenty of chats going on, and plenty of things we’re thinking about to develop and get better."

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