Courtney defends Feeney radio outburst
James Courtney defends Broc Feeney Darwin outburst
Feeney was frustrated after team orders drama in Darwin
Will Brown was let past Feeney, finished there after Safety Car
James Courtney has defended Broc Feeney's frustration over Triple Eight’s team orders headache in Darwin.
Championship leader Feeney had been running fourth in the Darwin finale before being asked to step aside for teammate Will Brown, who was on newer tyres.
Brown was tasked to chase down third-placed Cam Waters, on the promise that he would hand the place back to Feeney if he was unable to pass the Monster Ford.
An engine failure for Chaz Mostert triggered a late Safety Car, which ended the race under caution. Brown was unable to hand the place back, leaving Feeney frustrated.
Over team radio, Feeney sarcastically congratulated his team on a “great job”, before claiming he’s "always playing this bloody team game.”
Post-race, team boss Jamie Whincup revealed Feeney was “on the limiter, which I’d expect." Brown later admitted fault, while insisting he intends to “repay” Feeney later in the season.
2010 Supercars champion sympathised with Feeney, claiming the outburst was a far better outcome versus 'bottling it up’. “You are not interested at all,” Courtney said on MotorRacing 360.
“You feel so alone in that moment, but in reality, [Brown] couldn’t move over because of the yellow flags.
“You just want to get it out. It's best as a driver, you can get it out and then concentrate on what you’re doing.
“If you keep it bottled it up, you take it out on the car, which is not a good thing.”
Triple Eight lost the teams’ lead to Penrite Racing, with Matt Payne slashing Feeney’s lead from 90 to 15 points.
The team had a deep dive into the #88 Red Bull Ampol Ford across the Darwin weekend, initially uncovering suspected issues with brake drag, before claiming a deficit in straight-line speed.
Whincup maintained it wasn’t all “doom and gloom,” nor were there “panic stations” despite Penrite Racing seizing the teams’ lead.
“There is a lot to digest from the weekend as we tried some different things on the cars. Not wild things, still measured, but we have a lot of data to digest and understand," Dutton said.
“With the lack of test days you do have to be mindful about scoring points while learning and developing. You‘ve got to make a decision about how much to have a swing, or go for consistency.
“Definitely some new learnings from this weekend. Lots of work to be done but good positive stuff.”
Feeney and Brown both jetted off overseas after Darwin, Feeney returning to the United States to be trackside at the Sonoma NASCAR race, while Brown completed Supercars demonstration runs at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Feeney won the final two 2025 races in Townsville, where the 2026 season resumes on July 10-12.
