Rintoule won at The Bend last Sunday alongside co-driver and friend Jarrod Hughes.
It was a weight lifted off the pair, having stood on the Silver Cup podium seven times across 12 races in 2025, culminating in third place in the points standings.
A switch to the Chaz Mostert-owned Method Motorsport for 2026 has started tough, however a lucky break during Race 2 at The Bend saw Hughes emerge from the pits in the class lead following a well-timed safety car.
“It was an amazing feeling, we had been waiting for it so long and we’d been working so hard towards it,” Rintoule told Speedcafe.
“All throughout last year we got pretty much every single step on the podium but that number one top spot.
“It was really rewarding to finally be able to get that number one spot and especially being able to do it with Jarrod [Hughes] again.”
Rintoule stated her desire for Hughes to be recognised fairly for his part in the victory.
“I may have started that race, but he 100 percent finished it and he fought off [the rest] all the way until the end,” said Rintoule.
The young charger noted her disappointment in Hughes’ first win in the category being overshadowed by sharing the car with a female driver.
“When it comes to being on the track, there really shouldn’t be a difference [with gender],” Rintoule added.
“It’s hard being in a pairing where it is a girl and a guy because a lot of times stuff like that happens where we do get that win, and Jarrod had a really big part in that and didn’t get as much reward from it as I did.
“So, that side of it is a little bit disappointing.
“Out on the track, there’s no real difference, if it’s like a woman or a man driving a car.
“It’s just who’s putting their best foot forward and who’s using their strategy to the best of their ability.
“There’s a lot of commotion around the side of ‘oh, a female in motorsport, crazy, crazy, crazy’, whereas it’s really a matter of, if they’re doing the work and they’re doing the job and they’re getting the results, good for them.
“But, it’s no different if a guy was putting in the exact same work and getting the exact same results, because they’re working just as hard.”
The move to Method Motorsport was made out of necessity, as Triple Eight ceased its GT program to focus on becoming the Ford homologation outfit in Supercars.
“As much as we loved being with Triple Eight, they just really wanted to focus on their Supercars team this year,” Rintoule noted.
“I definitely still miss my original team, they were all super stoked to see that we finally got on that top step.
“Chaz had a prior kind of relationship with my family just because we helped out with Method, starting them off the ground with a little bit of sponsorship.”
Despite the win, the pair have struggled for outright speed at the first two rounds, and were one of 11 cars handed post-race penalties during Race 2 at Phillip Island due to a pit stop procedure breach.
Having raced a Mercedes-AMG throughout 2025, Rintoule noted the stark contrast to the McLaren.
“It’s definitely very different,” Rintoule said.
“Obviously, the Mercedes is a lot heavier and a little bit more of a raw feel compared to the McLaren.
“The McLaren is kind of just a bit of a go-kart with a cage around it, so definitely a very different feel and it’s a lot to get used to.
“The new tyre that Pirelli brought out has helped everyone corner a lot better, which the McLaren was originally better at compared to a lot of the other manufacturers.
“Unfortunately, we’re just missing a little bit of that straight line speed, so hopefully we can get a little bit of a boost in BOP (Balance of Performance] for the next round.
“At the straight at Tailem Bend, we were about 15km/h down, so we really struggled with straight line speed compared to a lot of the other cars.
“The McLaren can corner really well, so around that triple right hander around the back, we were quite quick, but unfortunately everywhere else, it was just really hard to maintain where we were on track.
“We genuinely just got really lucky with the timing of the safety car.”
Both Mostert and Hughes have been a significant help to Rintoule’s short career, which only began in April of 2022.
“My dad got me kind of a hot lap package for my birthday, which is actually where I met Jarrod, he was the person who was giving me the hot lap,” said Rintoule.
“[Jarrod] was one of the first people I ever met in the sport, so it was really great to be able to get that achievement with him because he kind of introduced me to it.
“Chaz is just really great to work with as well, he’s always very helpful, he definitely tells you where you need to work on and just in general.
“He’s done it all before, he’s been in the driving seat and now he’s obviously in a different position in the team, but he definitely still has that helping mind when it comes to trying to communicate to a driver and help them understand what’s going on a bit better as well.”
Rintoule noted the step up in the level of competition in GT4 Australia in 2026, with the calibre of drivers coming into the series challenging the young gun to stay sharp.
“Compared to last year, the competition this year has absolutely exceeded,” she said.
“I mean, we’ve got heaps of Supercars drivers in there – you’ve got Aaron Cameron, you’ve got Tony D’Alberto, you’ve got Lochie Dalton, Jarrod Hughes.
“It’s really cool to see that it’s such a popular category, and it just kind of challenges me a bit.
“Obviously these guys are really good drivers and that level has moved up, then I need to work that bit harder and move that level up as well.”
Rintoule described the ever-changing nature of future plans in motorsport, noting her sights are now set on a possible GT future pathway.
“I think anything can happen, and if you would have asked me two years ago, it would have been Supercars, if you would ask me today, it would be hopefully getting a GT factory drive anywhere I possibly can,” Rintoule said.
“Anything can happen any single day though, you can get an offer to go and drive a completely different car and then that path can change.
“So, I guess in the end it’s kind of taking every opportunity that comes to me.”
GT4 Australia heads to Queensland Raceway for Round 3 in early June – the home track for Rintoule – and a circuit at which she feels herself and Hughes can be competitive.
“I’m really hoping that they have a little bit of a look at that straight line speed so that we can be competitive and strong at Queensland Raceway because it definitely is a strong track,” she said.
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