10 things we learned from wild start to 2025

With races decided by 0.03s and 0.05s, six different winners, one new winner and 12 drivers standing on the podium, the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship has already delivered in spades.

Broc Feeney seized the lead in Tasmania off the back of a near-perfect weekend. The championship lead has changed four times in the last eight races across three drivers, with Cam Waters and Will Brown also enjoying time at the top.

Relaxed racing rules, new tyres and new formats have been the recipe for some wild on-track action, with the cream often rising to the top. However, some other teams have managed to pinch trophies, with Cameron Hill an impressive first-time winner in Melbourne.

The road to the Finals is heating up, with the Repco Sprint Cup well and truly up for grabs. At the halfway mark, the top four are covered by just 91 points, with 12 races across the Perth, Darwin, Townsville and Ipswich rounds still to come.

Heading to Round 5 in the West, here are 10 things Supercars.com has learned through the opening third of the season.

Best Supercars racing in years

Through four rounds, there have been six different winners, and at least eight of 12 races have seen intense battles for the lead. While the same big names have been pulling the biggest punches, the action has gone to another level amid a relaxation of racing rules. Driven by nostalgia, everyone will have an opinion on when the 'best' was. However, for a season that has already produced two of the top three closest finishes ever, it's hard to argue against 2025 being well and truly on track to be an all-time classic.

Broc Feeney has been the fastest

It may have taken four rounds, but Broc Feeney leads the points. It's no accident; no driver has more wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps than the Triple Eight driver. Feeney's qualifying average of 4.0 is well ahead of next best Will Brown's 7.31. Cam Waters staked his claim early in Sydney, with Feeney a close second. However, it has been largely Feeney since then, with the 22-year-old peerless on pace in Tasmania.

Will Brown still the most consistent

Will Brown has just one win in 12 races, yet is only 33 points from the lead. Brown lost that lead in Tasmania to teammate Broc Feeney, but his ability to maximise his result is keeping him in the fight. It's exactly how Brown won the 2024 championship; if you're not fastest, make sure you're second or third. Brown has 34 top 10 finishes in his last 36 starts, only missing out due to a clash in Townsville last year, and a run to 11th in this year's second Tasmania race.

Matt Payne is nearly the full package

Matt Payne has stepped up so far, winning twice in New Zealand and hanging on in a thriller in Tasmania. The Penrite Racing driver is only 75 points from the lead, which is quite something given how the rest of his season has gone. Payne's three trips to the podium have all been wins, while he has one pole position. Robbed of a podium on the last lap in Sydney, and turned around in Melbourne from third, Payne has had his hiccups already. However, he is minimising his bad days, and certainly making the most of his best ones.

There are still chinks in Cam Waters' armour

Cam Waters was incredible in Sydney, winning all three races from pole. In the nine races since, he has scored two podiums, and hasn't qualified on the front row, let alone claim a pole. Waters was sixth, 11th and fifth for the round at the last three events, and was out-scored by the top-scoring driver by 67 points, 130 points and 118 points. With the new Finals format, it would be incredibly short-sighted to predict Waters won't be a title contender; when the chips are down, few drivers are more entertaining to watch. However, missing the top 10 in three of his last five starts has hurt the Tickford Racing star, who after leaving Round 1 with a 60-point lead, is now 91 points down in fourth.

WAU still showing vulnerability

Chaz Mostert is a winner with three additional podiums, while Ryan Wood has made major strides with front row starts and a maiden podium. However, Walkinshaw Andretti United and its drivers have shown continued signs of the inconsistency that dented their 2024 hopes. Wood has been penalised twice over lap 1 incidents, while Mostert had a shocker on route to 18th for the round in Tasmania. While Toyota is its future behind the scenes, WAU won't want to throw away 2025.

The new tyres and formats are working

Through four rounds, half of the field has already claimed a podium finish, with six drivers winning a race. Two races have ended in photo finishes, while many drivers have been caught out by the new Super 440 format, where two tyre compounds are used on the same day. The new Soft tyres has also allowed drivers to push for longer, and alongside the racing rules, it has tightened things up; after Round 4, the top four are covered by 91 points. Last year, it was 381 points.

Brodie Kostecki is pushing DJR forward

Signing Brodie Kostecki was a clear sign of intent by Dick Johnson Racing. Has it worked? Well, DJR drivers were seventh and eighth after Round 4 last year, and they're seventh and 14th now. They were fifth last year, and are fifth now. So, on the scoreboard, you'd have to say no. However, there has been a clear mentality shift at the team, which despite being on a 47-race winless streak, has looked closer to wins than last year. Look no further than New Zealand, where Kostecki went toe-to-toe with Chaz Mostert.

There are no flukes with Cameron Hill

Arguably, the standout driver of 2025, relative to previous seasons, has been Cameron Hill. The Matt Stone Racing driver sits eighth after four rounds, which is a decent sample size to prove he is where he belongs. Only Broc Feeney, Will Brown, Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert have more podiums through four rounds than Hill, who won in Melbourne and fought for the lead in New Zealand. With the driver performing, it's now up to MSR to keep delivering strong performances to get Hill into the Finals at the very least.

Pressure building on several drivers

While the usual suspects are towards the front, a number of drivers haven't had Lady Luck or speed on their side so far. After sitting in the top 10, Anton De Pasquale dropped out in Tasmania, while Team 18 teammate David Reynolds is still 182 points from 10th. Nick Percat claimed a strong podium in Tasmania, but is 87 points and five spots behind teammate Cameron Hill. And while Dick Johnson Racing seems to be on the up, as evidenced above, Will Davison is still 14th, 98 points down. With only 10 drivers going into the Finals, some drivers will miss out.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.

The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440 on June 6-8. Tickets are on sale now.