Top 10 Supercars drivers of 2021: Part 2

The cream rose to the top in 2021, with several drivers laying down some impressive markers at times.

However, no driver could hold a candle to Shane van Gisbergen, who won 14 races and clinched a second drivers’ championship.

Part 1 of Supercars.com’s analysis was centred on drivers ranked 5-10 in our list, with several drivers recording career-best series finishes.

There are no surprises as to who will be No.1, but which drivers also made a splash in 2021?

5) Anton De Pasquale

Team: Shell V-Power Racing TeamChampionship: 6thWins: 6Average finish: 8.4Poles: 11Average qualifying: 4.5

De Pasquale finished sixth overall in 2021, but it doesn’t tell the full story. The first-year Shell Ford driver was peerless at times, especially in Sydney where he claimed a swag of poles and wins. Like some of his rivals, poor luck and bad reliability let him down. Notably, engine dramas (Sandown, Tailem Bend and Bathurst) cost him dear, as did crashes in Bathurst and Darwin. Runner-up overall was a possibility, but he still finished a career-best sixth. If he and his team can shake off the loose ends of 2021, De Pasquale will be a title force in 2022.

4) Will Brown

Team: Erebus MotorsportChampionship: 8thWins: 1Average finish: 10.5Poles: 1Average qualifying: 10.5

It was the best rookie campaign since Scott McLaughlin in 2013, with Brown improving as the season wore on. He brushed off a practice crash in Bathurst and continued to rise up the rankings, sitting pretty in the top 10 by Townsville. He lifted in Sydney and scored his maiden podium and pole, before scoring a belated maiden victory amid heavy pressure from the battling Red Bulls. Provisional pole for the Great Race underlined his talent, even if a race result went begging. One to watch in 2022.

3) Jamie Whincup

Team: Red Bull Ampol RacingChampionship: 2ndWins: 2Average finish: 4.8Poles: 3Average qualifying: 4.7

Whincup may have returned his lowest season wins tally since 2006, but he was more often than not in the fight. He was a distant second to van Gisbergen, but he showed glimpses of his all-time brilliance with pace in Townsville and Sydney. Still, victories went begging as van Gisbergen continued to improve, but Whincup headed into retirement far from a spent force. Critically, one battle he needed to win - versus van Gisbergen in Sydney in Race 28 - gave him the eg boost he deserved, even though it allowed Brown to win his maiden race.

2) Chaz Mostert

Team: Walkinshaw Andretti UnitedChampionship: 3rdWins: 3Average finish: 7.6Poles: 2Average qualifying: 7.2

Mostert’s stocks rose after his dominant performance in Bathurst earlier this month, but was a factor throughout the year regardless. He won races at Symmons Plains and Hidden Valley in dominant fashion, but was let down by inconsistency in Townsville and Sydney. However, any season you win Bathurst - and in the crushing fashion he did - is hard to ignore, which bodes well for a title bid in 2022.

1) Shane van Gisbergen

Team: Red Bull Ampol RacingChampionship: 1stWins: 14Average finish: 3.7Poles: 6Average qualifying: 4.2

In one of the most dominant campaigns in history, van Gisbergen is a worthy No. 1 in every sense of the word. With 14 victories, van Gisbergen threw his name up in lights with some of the all-time greats of the sport. He did most of his work with a clipped wing, having broken his collarbone and ribs in March. He opened the year with a record-equalling six wins, and added eight more to take his career tally to 54. Critically, he nullified teammate Whincup along the way, notably pinching victories from underneath Whincup’s nose in Townsville on three occasions. He was rewarded with a high listing in Autosport magazine’s top 50 drivers of 2021, proving his worth as one of the best drivers in world motorsport.