Mixed feelings for De Pasquale after losing championship lead
Anton De Pasquale lost championship after Will Brown collision
De Pasquale claimed points lead after winning Saturday race in Sydney
Team 18 driver fourth in championship heading to Melbourne
It might've been a disappointing end to the DUNLOP Sydney 500 for Anton De Pasquale, but the Team 18 star is only taking the positives from a breakout weekend.
After claiming an early championship lead courtesy of a stunning win in Race 2 on Saturday night, De Pasquale looked set to remain in the lead heading to Melbourne when he was running third at the mid-race Safety Car restart in wet conditions.
With the frontrunners all on slick tyres attempting to tough it out as the rain blew through, there was always a risk of mayhem, and the DEWALT Camaro was at the centre of it.
De Pasquale found himself on the outside of a three-wide squeeze with Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown heading into Turn 4, with the Red Bull Ampol Ford bumping the Shell V-Power Mustang.
Stuck on the outside, De Pasquale copped the worst of it as the ricocheting Kostecki tagged him into a spin, with the Camaro spearing back across the road and into Brown.
The collision spun De Pasquale to the rear of the pack, and although he would continue with a damaged front bumper to climb back up to 15th by the finish, it was enough to drop him back to fourth in the standings.
Regardless, it was still a strong statement to start their new era as Chevrolet's new homologation team, with the Saturday win enough for the team to declare they had silenced doubters.
Whilst De Pasquale admitted to disappointment that he only walked away with one trophy from the weekend instead of two, he is still confident that they are now firmly in the championship hunt.
“We finished P1 last night, and today we had a bit of rain halfway through which really mixed things up," De Pasquale said.
"Unfortunately, we got hit on the restart, which probably cost us a podium position. You never really know how it would’ve played out, but we were definitely in that fight.
“To come off a win last night and be fighting for another podium, almost on pole again, is really cool and really exciting. It’s amazing what the guys are doing.
“Overall, it’s been a really good weekend. A bit of a shame to finish on a low, but there were way more highs than lows. Keen to get to the next one.”
The 2026 Repco Supercars Championship continues at the Melbourne SuperSprint from March 5-8, part of the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX.
