Round 4 2026 – Supercars Championship
Will Browns one-lap pace returned in Christchurch, though some tough luck and strategic misfortune cost him points over the four-race weekend.
Race 10 – P17
Drivers were allowed just one 45-minutes practice session to acclimatise to the new-to Supercars Christchurch circuit, and though Will finished the solitary outing in 17th, he’d banked enough data to start the sport’s first-ever race in Ruapuna in fifth as the lead Triple Eight entry.
Qualifying, however, was Friday’s high point thanks to a chaotic start that saw three cars clash off the line near the back of the grid. Marshals then erroneously displayed yellow flags and safety car boards, and in the ensuing confusion, with drivers being told they were still free to race, Will copped a whack to the rear of his Ford Mustang. It loosened his rear bumper and diffuser, costing him performance, and a 28-second pit stop for repairs sealed him into a lowly 17th-place finish.
Race 11 – P4
Another strong qualifying result put Will on the offensive for Saturday’s first race of the Christchurch quadruple-header, and he moved forwards immediately off the line with a well-judged start that put him up to sixth and in the frame for a podium finish. Strategy would be key for the early race, and Will took the initiative and pitted on lap 18 of 37. It earned him a small tyre offset to use as a weapon against the leaders late in the race, but it also undercut him ahead of teammate Broc Feeney after the sister Mustang took it stop two laps later. A botched stop for Matt Payne ahead promoted Brown to fourth and within reach of the podium. He began reeling in Ryan Wood in third ahead but he ultimately finished just 0.4 seconds shy of what would have been his third podium of the season.
Race 12 – P13
Saturday’s second race was the only one of the weekend to use the delicate supersoft tyre, bringing with it new challenges at this new venue. A small lock-up at turn 2 proved costly for Will, leaving him down in 16th and without the tyre life for another attempt at qualifying inside the top 10. With overtaking difficult at the narrow circuit, car 888 was in for a long Saturday afternoon.
Will nonetheless gamely fired off the line, picking up five places on the first lap and gradually inching forwards from there, rising to as high as sixth before taking his sole pit stop on lap 17. The service proved his race’s undoing, however, when a wheel gun failure prevented his team from changing all four of his tyres. Not only did the slow stop send him tumbling down the order, but he eventually had to rejoin the race with one worn supersoft. It left him vulnerable even in battling for 11th place, and he lost a pair of positions in the final six laps to take the flag 13th.
Race 13: P6
Back on the soft tyre for Sunday, Will’s single-lap pace was restored, with a provisional fifth in qualifying converted to fourth, just over 0.2 seconds adrift, in the top-10 shootout for a place on the second row of the grid.
Fourth became second by the opening corner, but parrying moves from Kai Allen throughout the first stint dropped Will away from race lead until his young challenger forced the issue on lap 12 with an early pit stop. Will was forced to respond on the
following tour, but he lost position as he rejoined the race from pit lane. Worse, though, was that the early stop left him vulnerable to being overcut by teammate Broc Feeney, who passed him shortly after taking his first service, as well as Chaz Mostert, who ran deep and rejoined the race directly ahead, demoting Will to sixth.
“The weekend was interesting. Ruapuna is quite a tough track because it’s just so tight. It’s very hard to pass. But I think our qualifying sessions were back. We were closer to where we wanted to be this weekend. We got a fourth, a fifth and a seventh. Obviously the 16th was a bit disappointing, but I just made a mistake in that one, and I can’t be making those around here or anywhere in those moments.
Overall I was fairly happy with the qualifying sessions and results, but I just didn’t feel like we had the race pace we needed to get up the front and compete there. In that last race we got to second off the start but then dropped all the way back to sixth. That was a bit disappointing. We’ve got some work to do over this break, that’s for sure. I think we just need to get a little bit more time to get on top of the Mustang and then we’ll be ready to go. Everyone’s working really hard at Red Bull Ampol Racing. All the guys and girls are putting in the effort, so I’m sure we’ll keep edging away and hopefully get a good result.
The New Zealand double-header overall has been an amazing trip. The fans were amazing. The atmosphere was amazing. I really enjoy coming to New Zealand, to be honest. It’s a lovely place. I really enjoyed it.