McLaughlin won three titles in a row with the then-known DJR Team Penske before moving to the United States to pursue an IndyCar career and Whincup is the most successful Supercars driver in history with seven championships.
Under the new format, various championship permutations have been laid out, including the likelihood that McLaughlin would not have won the 2019 title. However, the one-time Bathurst 1000 winner said retrospective applications of the finals format are meaningless.
“I probably would’ve not sent it that hard through the chicane in qualifying [at the Gold Coast] and sent a [right rear] damper through someone’s porch window on the ninth floor,” he joked on social media.
There has been some fan criticism that DNFs will carry more weight but McLaughlin said that’s no different to now.
“For sure it can! But so can a DNF at Bathurst in the current format,” he added.
“Be good at the right times, don’t make mistakes in crucial moments.”
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Whincup has the unique perspective of having fought for titles as a driver and team principal.
While the Triple Eight Race Engineering head honcho said he didn’t anticipate such a big swing by Supercars, he has backed the category for being bold enough to try something new.
“Well, from a team owner’s point of view, we’ve been pushing Supercars to make a change – just get out there and have a crack and make a change – and they’ve certainly done that,” Whincup said at the Bathurst 1000 launch.
“We expected a small swing, but they’ve made a massive swing. As Shane [Howard, Supercars CEO] said, all the team owners were united that this is a great thing for the sport. We need change, and this is the best way to do it.
“From a driving point of view it’s probably going to become more difficult, which is only a good thing. You absolutely have to perform when the Finals come around.”
Whincup echoed sentiment from Supercars CEO Shane Howard and the category’s head of motorsport Tim Edwards that fan input was considered.
Despite some online criticism, Whincup said there was widespread support behind the scenes.
“The team at Supercars have done a great job. They’ve spoken to all the team owners, all the key stakeholders, the fans, everyone,” the seven-time champion explained.
“They’ve done a massive amount of due diligence in the background, and it’s all pointed to this is the way that sport has to go.
“So as far as I’m concerned, as a team owner, I’m proud of the change, proud to be part of a sport that’s evolving because a sport that doesn’t keep changing and evolving eventually becomes uncompetitive, so I’m excited for the future.”
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Walkinshaw Andretti United driver Chaz Mostert hailed the move a momentous occasion for the championship with a format that rewards consistency and delivering when it counts.
“It’s really going to create an absolute pressure cooker for the whole year, for all 24 drivers in the championship. So there’s not one race that you can let your guard down in the championship,” said Mostert.
“At the moment, you can have such a good year, probably 85 percent, 90 percent of the way and you can have a couple of bad races here and probably still become champion, where with this there’s no hiding in this championship.
“On paper, it looks so different and crazy, but the best guys are going to be in the fight all the way down to the end of the year. Looking forward to being part of the first year of it.”
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