No weakness? How Kostecki's advantage went beyond the car

Drivers had all 5.278 kilometres of Albert Park to find speed, yet Brodie Kostecki made sure all metres — and some — were used to perfection to fire a big statement to his rivals.

The Shell V-Power Racing Team star has a 28-point lead over Ford rival Cam Waters, after winning three of four races at the Melbourne SuperSprint.

To Kostecki and his team, the performance was of little surprise, given the impressive form shown throughout the DUNLOP Sydney 500.

In a scary prospect. it was driver and car working in unison at levels rarely seen in the sport, to the point that Kostecki could effectively control the narrative of each race.

Per Supercars data analyst Scott Sinclair, Kostecki's "superpower" was the speed the #17 Ford could carry around the back of the track, through Turns 8, 9 and 10. That speed enabled Kostecki the ability to perfectly to attack or defend at Turn 11.

Race after race, lap after lap, Kostecki defended or cut past his rivals to remain in the box seat for the biggest prize of the day. Only in the Saturday race did Kostecki fail to break through, although he gave Broc Feeney everything he had without throwing away points with a clash.

“He looks good, he drove very well,” 2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom said on The Run Home podcast.

“You can’t explain how hard the Grand Prix is. People take it for granted, how difficult [it is].”

“You qualify twice on Thursday, and that sets up your first two races. You’ve got to come back Saturday and when everyone’s developed, the track grip has changed.

“He went out and nailed it again. But he was very fast in some spots of the track that allowed him to race very well too. He had the whole package. Very hard to do.

“He didn’t mess up the start, didn’t get involved in any carnage, put the car in the right place, was aggressive when he needed to, ran down people.

“Unbelievable weekend. I haven’t seen dominance like that for a long time."

Winterbottom knows better than most. Only Winterbottom (2015) and Russell Ingall (1998) won four from four at Albert Park. Kostecki came closest, and was the best performer of the event's championship era since 2018.

For Winterbottom, Kostecki used a car described as "on rails" to use every skerrick of the track and more, to the point that rising star teammate Rylan Gray couldn't work out just how well the #17 and its driver were able to stick to the road through the fast back section (pictured below).

“He was very good around [Turn] 8. That was where he really had his speed, through the fast right hander. Through [Turn] 9, he could stay narrow sometimes on the dirt," Winterbottom said.

“But his braking into Turn 10, and momentum into 11, that whole complex, he was very fast. That whole sequence, he was very fast. That middle sector, he was delivering.

“Even speaking to Rylan Gray his teammate, Brodie goes through footage with him after sessions and really tries to help Rylan get up to speed.

“Rylan goes, ‘far out, that second sector, I don’t know how he’s doing it, but he’s unbelievable’.

"You’ve got to be fast in the right spots. Brodie definitely through that middle sector, and then braking into 11, he controlled the race. It’s very hard to do, and no one else could replicate it.

“Very dominant in that part of the track."

The outcome? Ford rivals Triple Eight were left wanting, Feeney's games were kept in check, and perhaps most concerning for the rest of the field, Kostecki didn't give a rats about the points lead.

That was enough for Winterbottom to all but pencil Kostecki down for a Grand Final berth, saying: "Come November, he’s going to be there in some shape or form, but we saw last year how Finals play out, it's not about accumulating points, it's about delivering on that day.

“On his day, he beats anyone.”

Kostecki will resume his championship charge in Taupō from April 10-12.