The 26-year-old and Erebus Motorsport shared in maiden drivers’ and teams’ championship triumphs but a rift is understood to have developed within the team and few, if any, expect he will drive one of the Betty Klimenko-owned squad’s Camaros again.

Erebus has thus far only confirmed that Todd Hazelwood will fill the breach for this month’s Thrifty Bathurst 500, while Kostecki’s profile since the saga was exposed by Speedcafe has been no higher than a social media snippet posted by former team-mate Will Brown.

That changed tonight in Melbourne, where the West Australian was in attendance at the Motorsport Australia National Awards to be formally honoured.

UPDATE: Brodie Kostecki awarded Peter Brock Medal

Kostecki was unable to elaborate much on the biggest issue in Supercars right now because of ongoing contractual and legal sensitivities with Erebus Motorsport.

However, he did say that he is in “generally good health,” albeit “unsure what the immediate future holds,” in the following speech:

“I guess the pinnacle of motorsport in the country is the Australian Touring Car Championship or what is now known as the Repco Supercars Championship.

“To have my name on a trophy that includes legends like Brock, Johnson, Moffat, Geoghan, Lowndes and Ambrose and more recent heroes like Whincup, McLaughlin and van Gisbergen is quite surreal and a position that is not lost on me.

“To say that 2023 was an interesting year would be an understatement.

“We had a brand-new Gen3 car to work with and I lived and breathed it in an effort to understand what made it work and how we could make our cars faster than anyone else.

“In the end, the hard work and more than a decade of personal commitment to learning my craft paid off and I came away with the drivers’ championship and I helped contribute to a Supercars teams’ championship with my good friend and team-mate Will Brown.

“It is great to share this trophy with all the mechanics and crew and the other hard-working members of our team at track or back at the shop.

“In more recent weeks, it is no secret that I have come to a crossroads with my 2023 Supercars team and ongoing discussions mean that I cannot say any more on that matter at this time – and I thank you for appreciating my position.

“What I can say is that I have been overwhelmed by the support from some quality individuals and sponsors in the industry who have offered their unwavering support.

“I also have to say a massive thank you to the thousands of fans, from both sides of the fence, who have sent me personal messages of support, checked on my wellbeing, or just given me another ‘thumbs up’ on my title and wished me all the best.

“I am unsure what the immediate future holds, but what I can say is that I am in generally good health and that I have a long-term commitment to Australian motorsport and have a burning desire to stand up here again more than once as multiple Supercars champion.

“I would like to thank Motorsport Australia for the invitation tonight, and congratulate all the award and trophy winners.”