Frustrated Brown under Finals pressure after qualifying blunder

Will Brown's 2025 qualifying woes have struck once again at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, as the reigning champion is set to start in the mid-field for this afternoon's 81-lap Race 30.

Mere minutes after Thomas Randle was bundled out in Q1 after a strategic gamble, Brown and Triple Eight gambled on a one-run strategy of their own, using up their green tyres immediately and electing to sit out the final run.

However, as the times came through in the dying seconds, it was clear to see that Brown's strategy was the wrong one, with the reigning champion tumbling from the top of the pile all the way down to 15th.

Brown's qualifying yips have struck at a time where he could least afford it, with the 2024 Sandown 500 winner entering the weekend 12 points below the cut-line in fifth.

Speaking post-session, Brown himself admitted that he was uncertain as to whether or not the gamble would pay off as soon as he had completed the lap.

"I probably didn't think at the time that was going to get us through," Brown said.

"I just felt like we didn't put the best laps together then, it didn't feel great, but it is what it is. We're 15th."

As part of Red Bull's gamble, Brown used up to sets of green tyres to get through Q1, which he did comfortably, However, that ultimately compromised his Q2 performance with devastating consequences.

"Yeah that hurt, running the two sets, we didn't have two sets to run in that second one. So we ran at the start, I thought that would be good.

"Run at the start, try and get a tow, they probably ran their used and we just didn't do a good enough job."

It hasn't been the strongest of weekend's for the Red Bull Camaros, despite Sandown being a Triple Eight fortress over the pst several years.

Asked whether there was a particular characteristic or issue he was chasing with his car, Brown couldn't pinpoint one particular issue: "I don't know right now to be honest, it's just disappointing. We did a lot of work between Gold Coast and her to try and improve this, and I did a lot of simulator work, but it didn't work out."

Race 30 of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship begins at 3:20pm AEDT this afternoon at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.