Whincup labels De Pasquale move 'reckless'

Jamie Whincup has labelled Anton De Pasquale’s late-race move on Shane van Gisbergen “reckless”.

De Pasquale sent van Gisbergen into a spin at the final corner of Race 20.

Van Gisbergen won the race, with De Pasquale copping a five-second time penalty.

De Pasquale attempted to redress, only for van Gisbergen to follow the #11 Ford across the line.

Red Bull Ampol Racing Team Principal and Managing Director Whincup could only watch on from the garage.

Whincup acknowledged the entertainment factor of the clash.

However, he had qualms over the incident, which could have been far worse for either driver.

“Car 11 had some pace going, but you can’t just plough into the side of another car,” Whincup told Supercars.com.

"Overall, we’re here for the show. I love the show. But it was a bit reckless.

"It was 50-50, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt because it was good for the show.

"The move wasn’t on. Part of me likes it for the entertainment, sure.

"But part of me sees disrespect. You can’t just bomb in and smash into the side of someone.

"We’ll shake hands and move on."

Whincup, who won a record 12 Townsville races, praised van Gisbergen for twice passing De Pasquale.

The retired champion said van Gisbergen’s overtake after the stop was key to victory.

De Pasquale chased down van Gisbergen and was within striking distance on the final lap.

Few could have predicted De Pasquale would send van Gisbergen into a spin.

Whincup reiterated his comfort in seeing the race feature added entertainment.

However, he wasn't comfortable in the thought of future clashes between the title rivals.

"Shane did a good pass. The race was won when he passed car 11,” Whincup said.

"They tried to leapfrog us with putting a second less fuel in. We passed him on the out-lap.

"Maybe they should have done two seconds, they could have been more aggressive.

"We kept track position and that ultimately won us the race.

"I don’t want to sound sour, I don’t want the headline to say, ‘Whincup thinks it’s disrespectful’.

"Let’s laugh about it now, but I don’t want that happening every race meeting."

The 2022 season will resume at the OTR Bend SuperSprint on July 30-31. Purchase your tickets now.