Red Bull team issues statement after discovering discrepancy on spec part in Australian Supercars

Triple Eight Race Engineering, the team that runs the Red Bull-backed entry in Australia's premier touring car series, Supercars, has issued a statement after discovering that 2024 champion Will Brown had been competing all season with an undersized engine airflow restrictor fitted to his Ford Mustang.

Supercars, a single-seater-style spec series in which all cars must conform to strict technical regulations, confirmed the finding on Tuesday.

The air restrictor on Brown's car was one millimetre smaller than the prescribed size for the Ford Mustang, a discrepancy that team principal Jamie Whincup said had a measurable impact on performance throughout the 2026 season.

Whincup, who previously stated that Triple Eight was "1000% behind" Brown, said his team had been conducting a thorough investigation into why Brown's car had been struggling for pace.

The 2024 Supercars champion currently sits seventh in the championship standings heading into the Repco Sprint Cup finale, the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 on 21-23 August.

"After Perth, we promised Will, his crew and all stakeholders associated with Car #888, which includes our beloved fans, that we would leave no stone unturned and find reasons why Car #888 has not been fighting for race wins recently," said Whincup.

"At 7pm last night, we found a significant issue on Car #888. Since the start of this season, Car #888 has been running with an undersized engine airflow restrictor. This part manages the airflow into the engine and has a significant negative impact on engine performance, and, therefore, lap time.

"This is not a part we, Triple Eight or Red Bull Ampol Racing, manufacture. This is a supplied part from Supercars expected to be the same for all 11 Ford Mustangs, distributed at the start of the season and expected to be run for the whole season.

"We as a team are taking responsibility and want to deeply apologise to everyone involved for allowing this to happen. While this error has cost our team a considerable amount of resource, sport is an emotional game, and these types of things have knock-on effects bigger than the average 1.5 tenths a lap.

"We will be taking up with Supercars why they have supplied us with what is a controlled component out of specification, which has negatively impacted the performance of Car #888 this season to date.

"We will continue to roll out our new chassis for Car #888 at Queensland Raceway and look forward to measuring our capability now we are competing with the same horsepower as the rest of the field."

In its own statement, Supercars explained how the incorrect component came to be fitted. The restrictor had originally been loaned to Triple Eight for display purposes at the team's launch event in February, after which it inadvertently remained on the car throughout the season.

Supercars confirmed that routine technical checks had not specifically covered the restrictor on Brown's car prior to the Perth event.

"Supercars acknowledges the finding that Car 888 has competed during the 2026 Supercars season with an air restrictor that is one millimetre smaller in size than is prescribed for the Ford Mustang," the championship said.

"The component was loaned by Supercars to Triple Eight Race Engineering (T8RE) for demonstration purposes only at the team's launch in February.

"The air restrictor subsequently remained fitted to Car 888 through the Perth Super 440. Neither party identified the discrepancy until it was discovered by T8RE during preparations for next weekend's event in Ipswich.

"Throughout the Supercars season, routine scrutineering and compliance checks are carried out at random by Supercars' Technical department, covering a vast range of components and systems.

"As of the Perth event, the air restrictor fitted to Car 888 had not been selected for inspection during those checks. Supercars is reviewing the circumstances surrounding this matter and will evaluate opportunities to strengthen its technical and operational procedures moving forward. Supercars acknowledges and appreciates T8RE's identifying and prompt reporting of the matter to Supercars."

Brown will switch to a spare chassis for the Queensland Raceway round on 21-23 August.