'One man show' needs more support, says champions
Anton De Pasquale needs more support, says Supercars champions
Team 18 spearhead the only GM driver in top 10 in the championship
De Pasquale claimed GM's only wins of 2026 in Sydney, Darwin
“One man show” Anton De Pasquale needs more support from his fellow Camaro drivers, says Supercars legends Garth Tander and Mark Winterbottom.
De Pasquale arrives in Team 18 as Supercars’ latest winner, having blazed to victory in last month’s betr Darwin Triple Crown finale.
The DEWALT Chevrolet driver had been labelled General Motors’ de facto leader well before the 2026 season began, and the prediction has so far proven true.
De Pasquale is five positions and 308 points ahead of the next best GM driver, Matt Stone Racing’s Jack Le Brocq. PremiAir Racing rookie Jayden Ojeda is 430 points behind, while teammate David Reynolds is 505 points behind.
2015 Supercars champion — and former Team 18 driver — Winterbottom believes De Pasquale can’t carry the GM flag on his own.
“De Pasquale’s been quite strong all year. There is a lack of Chevrolet cars supporting him,” Winterbottom said on Seven's Supercars Preview Show.
“It’s a one-man show. Anton to his credit has done a very good job. They do need other cars supporting him to get a genuine Chevy representation.
“At the moment, Anton’s leading that ship.”
The GM ranks have been a point of contention all season, despite the General’s motorsport boss Simon McNamara insisting the marque is in a “rebuilding phase” in Supercars.
It comes amid questions of Matt Payne’s future and known overtures from GM to lure the Bathurst champion to the Camaro fold. All the while, De Pasquale has made no time for his critics, and critics of both GM and his team.
2007 Supercars champion Tander echoed Winterbottom's point, and suggested De Pasquale and the Camaro package also has room for improvement.
“Anton’s very strong in races, and particular tracks. He’s got a particular driving style that suits Sydney Motorsport Park, it suits Hidden Valley, it suits high degradation, high tyre wear tracks,” Tander said.
“When you go to more of a bullring like Townsville next weekend, that’s not necessarily Anton’s wheelhouse. So he needs to be better at that.
“But there needs to be more GM teams. Jayden Ojeda is slowly coming, from PremiAir Racing. But after that, there’s not many other GM cars that are bolstering the ranks.
“For GM and particularly Team 18, it’s having a more rounded car, a car that’s got to be more suitable to more race tracks.”
Track action in Townsville commences on Friday.
