2545 reasons why Ford will want to fire in Melbourne

In recent years, Albert Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Ford. In fact, far from it.

Since the last Supercars race held at Albert Park before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, Mustangs haven't won a single race on the undercard of the Australian Grand Prix.

That will account for a 2545 day winless streak when cars roll onto the grid for the first of four lights-to-flag

However, that's not to say Ford haven't had their moments on Grand Prix weekend, in fact they've had plenty of opportunities.

In 12 qualifying sessions between 2022 and 2024, Fords claimed eight pole positions, including clean sweep of all four poles in the final year of Gen2 regulations in 2022.

However, on each occasion a GM product was able to race it's way through the pack, whilst on some occasions Fords would trip each other up whilst in a position to potentially win.

Perhaps the most widely known example of this came in 2024, when Cam Waters and Matt Payne collided at the final corner, with the Tickford star unleashing a trackside tirade on the Kiwi.

A big factor in Ford's difficult few years has been the ruthless consistency of Triple Eight, who have won nine of the 15 races since Albert Park's return following the pandemic.

Adding the success of former Triple Eight customer Matt Stone Racing, who have won in the last two years in Melbourne, Triple Eight-derived machinery has won all but four races since 2022.

However, Triple Eight are now back with the Blue Oval, and they're already off to a winning start thanks to Broc Feeney in Sydney.

In fact, Feeney is aiming to become the first driver in history to claim five Albert Park Supercars poles in a row, having swept all four pole positions last year.

However, it's teammate Will Brown who has stolen the headlines in Melbourne the last two years, entering this year's event as the twice defending Larry Perkins Trophy winner. After a slow start in Sydney, he'll be eager to get one back on Feeney.

MSR's history could also bode well for Triple Eight's new customer, Blanchard Racing Team, who stunned the paddock with a front row lockout and double podium on the opening day of the season.

It's not just Triple Eight and their customer in BRT who will be in contention this weekend, as Ford's stock of 11 drivers and six teams remains strong despite losing Walkinshaw TWG Racing, Chaz Mostert, and Ryan Wood to Toyota.

Tickford and Penrite Racing both have runs on the board, and currently lock out the top two in the teams' championship ahed of Triple Eight, with Payne and Waters completing a drivers' top three led by Feeney.

Then there's Dick Johnson Racing, who nearly claimed a barnstorming Race 2 win in Sydney courtesy of Brodie Kostecki, who wasn't afraid to get his elbows out on track, and has been vocal off it.

The ultimate wildcard could be the third Triple Eight-built Mustang, run under the SCT Motorsport license for rookie Jackson Walls, who has won twice at Albert Park in Porsche Carrera Cup.

Armed with the most successful team in the Gen3 era, and a bunch of teams who are all eager and capable of claiming their crown as top dogs in pit lane, Ford might be the best placed they've ever been to reset the Melbourne winless clock to zero days.