Tander feels sympathy over Winterbottom's Team 18 axing

Garth Tander says he reached out to Mark Winterbottom following news of the veteran’s axing from Team 18, leaving the 2015 champion facing an uncertain future.

In a major silly season bombshell, Team 18 announced Anton De Pasquale for 2025, shortly after Winterbottom took to social media revealing his departure from the team.

Winterbottom was informed a day before De Pasquale was announced, and the 43-year-old later said he was “still digesting the news."

All told, Winterbottom is a free agent, and could see his full-time Supercars career — which began in 2004 — come to an end after Adelaide in November.

It hit close to home to long-time rival Tander, whose own full-time career came to a sudden end in 2019 as Garry Rogers Motorsport signed Richie Stanaway amid a new naming rights deal.

"It's very similar to what I went through in 2019," Tander told Supercars.com.

"After I saw it, I actually sent Mark a message saying, 'It feels very familiar, what you are going through'.

"From what I understand, he felt like he was going in to sign a contract rather than get told 'DTM [dead to me]'. I definitely feel for him."

Winterbottom, who joined Team 18 in 2019, has claimed three of the team’s five podiums, its sole pole position (Tasmania 2019) and its sole race win (Darwin 2023). He has already scored two podiums this season, and is ahead of recruit David Reynolds in the standings.

When quizzed over his future in Tasmania, Winterbottom stated he was still "driving well" and loved racing for team owner Charlie Schwerkolt. Three days later, he was informed he was out of the team.

When asked if Winterbottom was deserving of a 2025 drive, Tander said: "Unless you're seeing all the data and you're seeing all the information that the team has access to, then it's hard to pass comment when you look externally like we all do.

"But, the guy was on the podium this year. Clearly, when those cars are capable, Mark's capable. So, as a driver, if you feel like you're still being able to deliver, you still feel capable you should still be there full-time.

"But it's also not only that, it's how do you fit into the the sport commercially? How do you fit in exposure-wise? Mark ticks a lot of boxes there.

"I think there's more to it than you just looking at the result sheet.”

However, Tander reiterated that De Pasquale shouldn’t be judged harshly before he event steps foot into a Team 18 Camaro, amid online reaction to Winterbottom’s axing.

"You don't look at a measure of Facebook comments or likes or any of that, whether it's the right or the wrong decision,” Tander said.

"Anton's clearly fast. He's young. He's established in the sport. There's so much that goes into it.

"But just because Frosty is well supported by the fan group, and just because a team has made a decision, that's really got nothing to do with Anton."