Supercars Championship: 2026 Melbourne SuperSprint Race 4 Report
- Tayla Purves
- Mar 5
- 3 min read
Credit: Supercars | Instagram
Before the green flags
Qualifying took place earlier today, placing the 2023 Supercars Champion Brodie Kostecki on pole. Kostecki secured the top spot despite an unfortunate illness of alleged food poisoning.
Behind Kostecki's 1:47.110 lap was James Golding, with a tight gap of 0:04.370. Broc Feeney and Matt Payne will start from the row behind.
DJR CEO Megan Foster said: "He's recovering well, and we expect him to be fully ready to go come the start of Race 4, where he'll start from pole.
"It was a great effort, and he's done well to get that far, and to put it on pole and P2 for Race 5 tomorrow."
19 laps are all it takes at Melbourne, with multiple drivers showing their strengths around the iconic track at Albert Park.
As it happened
The first of four races this weekend at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix kicked off with Kostecki leading through the first corner, while Feeney swooped across and in front of Golding, holding the pack behind.
Turn 3 for Lap 1 saw Kai Allen facing the wrong way as the pack flew forward. Later on the same lap, Chaz Mostert and Golding came together with no penalties dished out.
Lap 3 saw high tensions for Ryan Wood and Jack Le Brocq. The young driver in the No.2 Toyota Supra was clear with his intentions of remaining ahead. On the same lap, Payne surged ahead of Feeney, taking the lead in the chase for Kostecki.
Lap 4 saw Macauley Jones and rookie Zach Bates go head-to-head at the back of the pack.
On Lap 7, an early safety car made its debut after Jackson Walls in the No.11 Mustang was found in the gravel trap at Turn 2. The Off-line approach, making contact with the dust and the grass, was a rookie error, resulting in a beached race car for the Australian.
The race restart came with only 10 laps remaining. Lap 9 showcased an exciting showdown between Payne and Kostecki, with Payne putting immense pressure on the driver of the No.17 Mustang.
On Lap 10, Aaron Cameron and Will Brown clashed, marking the second year in a row that bad luck has struck Cameron in Melbourne. A singular error occurred for the No.3 Mustang, with no escort applied to the incident.
Further moves down the grid included Allen on Jayden Ojeda, while at the front, Cam Waters challenged Mostert. The two former teammates battled it out, with Waters hot on the tail of the No.1 Toyota on Lap 11. Brown added pressure on the No.6 Monster Energy Mustang.
On Lap 13, Allen made a statement in his recovery mission, moving into 14th position.
On Lap 14, Bates came under pressure from Jones and Jobe Stewart, with a tyre lock-up for the No.10 Chevrolet.
Mostert and Waters pushed the limits again, Mostert keeping his place ahead of No.6. Waters came into a soft contact with Brown, rear door to front tyre, all on the last lap, Waters making it away cleanly.
Kostecki crossed the line to win the first race of the weekend. Payne finished closely behind taking the championship lead.
The field go racing tomorrow at 17:30 AEDT (06:30 GMT).
The Results
Brodie Kostecki 1:48.92
Matthew Payne +0.469
Broc Feeney +2.982
James Golding +4.740
Chaz Mostert +7.397
Cam Waters +8.381
Ryan Wood + 8.815
Will Brown +9.709
Anton De Pasquale +11.295
Cooper Murray +11.443
Kai Allen +11.821
Thomas Randle +12.511
Jack Le Brocq +12.797
Andre Heimgartner +14.261
David Reynolds +14.563
Jayden Ojeda +14.901
Rylan Gray +15.524
Cameron Hill +16.950
Zach Bates +17.232
Jobe Stewart +20.455
Macauley Jones +21.627
Declan Fraser +22.031
Aaron Cameron +24.087
Jackson Walls DNF
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