Tickford Racing Team Principal Tim Edwards has declared that Cameron Waters’ Race 18 penalty at Sydney Motorsport Park for an unsafe release “defies belief”.
The #6 Monster Energy Mustang took the chequered flag in third place but was relegated to sixth in the provisional classification once he, and Shane van Gisbergen for a driving infringement, had five seconds added to their race times.
Waters exploded on his radio when Race Engineer Sam Potter informed him of the sanction, shouting, “They wonder why all their drivers want to f***en leave [Supercars].”
Triple Eight Race Engineering had requested an investigation after Car #6 was released as van Gisbergen’s team-mate, Broc Feeney, was about to enter his pit bay, two up from Tickford’s.
Edwards was so incensed he declined post-race media and TV interviews, except for a few brief comments to Speedcafe.
“It defies belief. There was no contact,” he said.
Waters also bit his tongue afterwards following the radio tirade.
On Waters’ performance before the penalty, Edwards remarked, “It was promising until then.”
However, he seemed to suggest that the Ford Mustang is still very much on the wrong end of a technical disparity, despite recent aerodynamic tweaks and the new engine specification which was approved ahead of this weekend’s Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.
“There were still only two Mustangs in the top 10…” noted Edwards when asked about the effect of the aero and engine changes.
Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert in second and Waters in third were indeed the only two Ford drivers to finish in the top 12 at the chequered flag.
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