Has WAU set a Finals example for their rivals to chase?

It was the storyline that set up a drought-breaking championship win for Walkinshaw Andretti United, and an approach that others might now look to replicate.

WAU's Finals-first approach came with its troubles throughout rollercoaster Sprint and Enduro Cup campaigns, however both Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood secured passage through to the Finals Series with relative ease.

What followed next was nothing short of remarkable, and it might've set the tone for how championships will be won in the Finals era.

Setting the scene

After a mid-season surge in 2024 for Mostert, he emerged as a real threat to the ultra consistent Will Brown for that year's title, only to suffer a form slump through the enduros and into the back end of the season.

With Finals implemented last year, a similar back end slump would spell disaster. However, the WAU brains trust devised a plan that would ensure there would not be a repeat in 2025.

WAU decided to implement a strategy whereby car setups would be tailored with one eye looking at the requirements of the three Finals venues. The regular season effectively became a competitive test session.

After a mixed season through to Bathurst, Mostert and WAU went on a tear in the Finals Series, recording three wins, three runner-ups, and a fourth in the seven races. When Broc Feeney's season unravelled at the last hurdle, Mostert picked up the pieces.

Speaking after Mostert clinched the title in Adelaide, team owner Ryan Walkinshaw admitted that the ploy to prioritise Finals came about, 'pretty much since we first started talking about it.'

"We knew that this season was going to require a different strategy, and a focus on the last three rounds was pivotal.

"It's a different season that we've not had before, a lot of people would've been treating it like a traditional Supercars season, and just hoping that the back end of the season would just go to plan. If you were fast in throughout most of the season, it would continue into the back end.

"Whereas we really focused on these last three rounds and focused on what we could do, and to ensure we had the fastest cars possible, and fortunately it worked out well."

Was it a gamble? Probably, but with high risk comes high rewards...

How will the chasing pack respond?

It's a question that teams will have been asking themselves as preparations for the new campaign kick into gear.

WAU's unique approach worked wonders, and as the only team to deploy such an approach - or at least publicly admit to running such a strategy - it's raised interest as to whether or not others will deploy a similar tactic this year.

On the one hand you have the frontrunners, who have now experienced Finals and will be eager to make the most of their Finals campaigns in 2026, should they qualify once again. Think Triple Eight, Penrite Racing, and Tickford.

However, should anyone replicate WAU's 2025 plan, it could leave them vulnerable in the regular season, especially with so many unknowns throughout the new grid in 2026, with driver and team changes aplenty.

However, for those around the back end of the top 10, they don't have that same luxury. As we saw last year, just three points separated 10th to 12th in the standings after the Finals cut-off at Bathurst. Every point counts.

When asked whether he could see any teams employ a similar strategy, Walkinshaw was coy: "Potentially, but you've also got to get to The Finals in the first place, right?

"The championship up until that point is obviously very, very important, so I think there's a possibility that a few other teams will be taking that kind of strategy going forward.

"At the end of the day, if you've got the fastest car all the way through the season, you're probably going to have a pretty fast car in The Finals as well, as you saw with Broc.

"We just wanted to ensure that ours was going to be as fast as we could possibly get it for the last three rounds, and fortunately that plan paid dividends."

Can Walkinshaw repeat the trick?

However, whether or not Walkinshaw will be able to place an emphasis on their Finals performance is also up in the air, amidst a busy off-season of their own.

Their season will hinge on the performance of the brand-new Toyota GR Supra, which will make its highly anticipated debut next month in Sydney.

If anything, the Finals format could give the team - which will be renamed Walkinshaw TWG Racing by the time of the opening round - time to resolve any potential early teething issues, be it performance or reliability, without losing the chance to fight for the title.

If that is the case, then it might leave them with limited wriggle room heading into the Enduro Cup, something they experienced with Wood this year amid his run of misfortune.

However, not only will the team's season depend on the performance of the GR Supra, it could also be the deciding factor in Mostert's future. The 33-year-old is off contract at season's end, even if he enters this year with the #1.

But, if the car is competitive straight out of the gates, then there is every chance that we could see a similar approach. If it worked once, why wouldn't it work again?

It's another key storyline to follow in a season that has many questions to answer.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.