The major deficiency that could hurt Brown's title defence

Will Brown has made no secret of his qualifying woes in 2025.

After his historic run to a maiden Repco Supercars Championship crown in 2024, Brown's 22-year-old teammate Broc Feeney has emphatically turned the tables this season.

With 10 wins and 10 poles to his name, Feeney has all but wrapped up the inaugural Repco Sprint Cup, and has one hand on a Golden Ticket to The Finals.

The numbers in the head-to-head paint a clear picture of Feeney's stunning run in 2025, with the race match-up in Feeney's favour 14-7, however it is qualifying where the 2021 Super2 champion has made the biggest mark.

The disparity in qualifying trim is alarming for Brown, who trails 20-2 in the qualifying head-to-head, the biggest difference between teammates in the field.

Notably, Brown's qualifying average for the season of 8.59 is only fifth in the field behind Feeney (3.68), Matt Payne (6.77), Cam Waters (7.05), and Brodie Kostecki (7.95).

Based on qualifying averages alone, Brown could be at risk of failing to be one of the four drivers going for the title at the bp Adelaide Grand Final in November.

However, there is a catch. Brown's race pace has continued to be exceptional in 2025, and has dragged him out of sticky situations on many an occasion.

The 27-year-old has the biggest difference between his average start and average finish in the field, on average gaining just shy of four positions per race.

It's a trend that has carried through right from the start of the season, when the #1 Camaro led the standings as recently as the opening race in Tasmania.

Whilst it will be incredibly tough to charge through the field on the streets of the Gold Coast, Brown has proven that he can pull a result out of the fire on the biggest of stages.

You only have to look at his staggering last-to-first blitz in the Adelaide finale last year to see just how devastating Brown and Triple Eight can be when they're on song.

However, the caveat with Brown's win to round out 2024 is that there was no added pressure of a championship battle, having wrapped up the crown with a measured drive to second behind Feeney on the Saturday.

There will be no such easy path to a championship win on Sunday this year. With a four-way fight on the final day of the season all but guaranteed, there will be pressure the likes of which we've rarely seen before to round out the season.

If Brown can qualify towards the front, his race pace will put enormous pressure on his rivals to deliver when it matter most.

If he doesn't, you can bet that the reigning champion will throw everything he can at a repeat of his 2024 Adelaide heroics.

Gains/losses in races after Round 7