Even Ford star Mark Winterbottom is surprised he is within striking distance of the Supercars leaders after a disastrous start to the season.
But the former Supercars champion believes he is still in with a title shot, claiming drivers in the top Ford and Holden teams will hamper each other’s championship tilt.
Winterbottom was astonished he was in eighth place in the drivers’ standings, just 151 points behind Ford leader Fabian Coulthard after three rounds.
The former Bathurst champion only scored his first podium of the season in his last start, revelling in a Ford one-two finish with winning teammate Chaz Mostert at Phillip Island.
Yet Winterbottom was confident he could make some serious inroads into the championship lead thanks to the leading teams being too competitive for their own good.
Coulthard leads the series with his DJR Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin in fifth spot.
Holden’s Triple Eight pairing of defending series champion Shane van Gisbergen (second) and six-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup (fourth) complete the drivers standings’ top five.
Winterbottom said they were clear title threats but believed they may compromise their respective teammates’ championship hopes by double stacking in the pits.
Under team orders, leading drivers – Holden’s van Gisbergen and Ford’s Coulthard – take precedence in the pits during a safety car period, ensuring their teammates must wait their turn outside the team garage or “double stack”.
“At the moment DJR Penske are quick but they are racing each other for the pit box and Triple Eight are quick but they are racing each other for that pit box,” Winterbottom said.
“So for any safety car there is a queuing scenario so that team may be one and two in the race but one may come out of the pits in 15th.
“Our team is probably more open. Whoever is quickest in the race gets the priority.”
Winterbottom believed Whincup may be hit hardest.
“It’s hard to win when you have strong teammates,” Winterbottom said of Whincup, who is yet to win this season.
“Whincup has got van Gisbergen, one of the benchmarks of the category.
“Jamie will get a win no doubt this year but there are other factors that can hurt you.
“Having Shane as a teammate can definitely make it pretty tough in terms of results and track position for sure.”
Winterbottom backed himself in what he believed was one of the most open Supercars championships in years.
“I think the top 10 to 15 are contenders,” he said.
“It sounds weird but it’s fact. It’s more open than ever.”
Still, Winterbottom was left scratching his head over how he got to eighth place to date.
“To be where we are is kind of bizarre because it feels like we have been absolutely nowhere,” he said.
“But we know there is a lot that will go on from now until that championship is decided.”
