The Kiwi’s future has been the subject of significant speculation with PremiAir Racing widely expected to make a wholesale change to its line-up.
James Golding is already confirmed to be on the move to Blanchard Racing Team, leaving at least one vacancy at the squad, with Jayden Ojeda and Declan Fraser both closely linked to PremiAir deals.
Stanaway, however, is adamant he’ll be a full-time PremiAir Racing driver next season.
He told Speedcafe he is currently in the first of a two-year deal and has been given no indication he won’t see out the second year.
“It’s a two-year contract,” he said, before being asked if he expected PremiAir to honour the second year. “I believe so, yeah.”
Stanaway has endured a stop/start Supercars career since returning down under from international open-wheel and GT racing in the late 2010s.
He won the 2017 Sandown 500 alongside Cam Waters, before being promoted to a full-time Tickford Racing ride in 2018 in the Ford squad’s fourth entry.
He parted ways with the team after that season, before landing a lifeline with Garry Rogers Motorsport for 2019.
Again it was a tough campaign, Stanaway opting to retire from racing when the team decided to close its doors at the end of that season.
He was then lured back to Supercars with the Boost Mobile wildcard at Bathurst in 2022, which led to an enduro co-drive with Triple Eight the following year.
Stanaway and Shane van Gisbergen won the Bathurst 1000 in 2023, Stanaway then securing a full-time return with Grove Racing for 2024.
Again the relationship only lasted a single year, Stanaway then shifting to PremiAir Racing for the current season on a two-year arrangement.
According to Stanaway, the two-year nature of his current deal was important when he signed.
“It’s my fourth year full-time, but it’s my fourth different team,” he explained. “I don’t think there’s many other drivers that can say that.
“The important thing for me is to go to the start of a season without changing teams for once. That’s an important thing for me, not having to learn everyone’s names again, not having to change cars.
“It’s four different teams but also four different cars – FG-X, ZB Commodore, Mustang, Camaro… it will be nice to go to Round 1 of the Supercars Championship and not be learning a team and a car all over again.
“That’s, ultimately what I need – a bit of stability. That was part of the negotiations we were having 12 months ago.”
Team owner Peter Xiberras has not publicly committed to a driver line-up for next season which has driven the notion that both could be replaced.
Stanaway, however, feels that is only because one of the drivers is on the move.
“Well obviously there is movement with the other car, so [Xiberras has] been looking at his options,” he said.
Stanaway is heading to a happy hunting ground, with Mount Panorama a circuit he has excelled at in the past.
This time around he is excited to have new engineer Andrew Gilliam in his corner.
“Working with Gilli since Darwin has been very positive for us,” he said. “Tailem Bend, we had our best race pace of the whole year, probably.
“Part of [the success at Bathurst] is the style of the circuit. The cars are set up very differently to how they are at some of the sprint races earlier in the year.
“Another part of it is because I’ve been a co-driver here a lot. It’s one of the rounds I’ve been to every year, which helps.
“But I think there’s more to it than that as well. [Gilliam] has really been helping me find some speed which has been really good for my confidence.”
Stanaway will be teamed with Great Race rookie Nash Morris.
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