After more hits than Elvis, Brown prepares for last laugh at critics
Will Brown out-qualified Broc Feeney for the first time in 27 races
2024 Supercars champion scored first pole since Tasmania last May
Brown sits outside top 10 in points after penalty-laden start to 2026
A quick glance at certain comments on social media, and after a wild start to 2026, you can see what Will Brown is up against.
Will Brown is a walking penalty.
What is wrong with him?
Brown has lost his mojo.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Brown should stick to selling cars.
How long before Jamie drops the axe?
He was also within a whisker of sending himself and Cam Waters into orbit through Turn 5 on Thursday afternoon.
Sitting 14th in the championship midway through Round 2 is a far cry from Brown’s points leading efforts from 2024 and 2025. Desperately, he needed a result on Saturday to silence the critics.
Before Boost Mobile Qualifying, 2010 Supercars champion turned broadcaster James Courtney said Brown was “dragging” Triple Eight down. It's hard to argue with Courtney's remarks — Red Bull Ampol Racing dropped to third in the teams’ standings after Friday, with Brown still outside the top 10.
Even renowned DJ FISHER laid the boot in when Brown, in a social media video, quipped that he was 15th in points. "Pull your head in," FISHER joked.
By the time Courtney spoke, Brown was in the car and locked in for qualifying. After going sixth fastest in the first session, he nailed a drought-breaking pole in the second, claiming his first pole award since May 2025.
The response over team radio was telling, Brown screaming back to engineer Andrew Edwards: “F**k! F**k yeah, woo! Yeah! Woo!”
Compare that to his radio exchange with Edwards after his Race 2 penalty, grizzling: “Just f**king nearly no point showing up, I just f**k up every time.”
After embracing mother Leanne in the garage after qualifying, Brown beamed: "I feel like I just won Bathurst!
"It's been that long of a slog. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, to my fans that support me every weekend, and the team."
"2024 was an amazing year, I won the championship. Last year was tough and we wanted to build on it this year, and a lot has gone wrong.
"So hopefully this is the change and we can turn the tide and get back up the front and show them why we won the championship.”
The “them” Brown references could be anyone. It could be all of us, questioning what was going on, had he lost his mojo, that maybe he should go “still to selling cars.”
Ultimately, pole is only a tease of what Brown could achieve, but it could also be the ceiling. By the end of Saturday, the #888 Mustang could be damaged on a flatbed truck. Supercars really moves that fast.
Crucially, after arguably his worst start to a Supercars season, Brown is now armed with two golden chances to keep the detractors at bay.
Everyone within reach got a hug. Fans waiting in the paddock got photos and signatures. Most importantly, the big smile was back. That could be a big warning to Brown's rivals that he's back in the game.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
