TRIPLE Eight boss Jamie Whincup has shot down the likelihood of Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson latching onto a last-minute Supercars wildcard in his native New Zealand.
The prospect was floated on MotorRacing 360 on Wednesday night, ahead of the upcoming doubleheader comprising Taupō (April 10-12) and Christchurch (April 17-19).
Lawson is not unfamiliar with Gen3 Supercars machinery, having sampled a Tickford Racing-built Mustang during the 2024 Australian Grand Prix event and an ex-Triple Eight Camaro last December at Highlands.
The problem is finding a seat for the 24-year-old, who is aligned to both Red Bull and Ford which therefore makes Triple Eight his logical landing spot – not to mention team shareholder Tony Quinn being a personal backer of his.
Either the Kiwi-based ex-Ryan Wood Gen3 Mustang belonging to Walkinshaw TWG Racing co-owner Scott O’Donnell could be borrowed and upgraded, or Triple Eight’s spare car could be flown over, or an existing driver could step aside for Lawson.
All are extreme longshots.
“Great idea but no way a driver is going to step aside because there’s championship points,” Whincup told V8 Sleuth.
“And I reckon if anyone was going to do it, it was probably us, and he hasn’t reached out or our corporate partners haven’t reached out for us to support a car.
“So I think it’s highly unlikely.
“It’s probably almost impossible logistically as well right now.”
F1 is in the midst of an event-less April following the war-induced cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix.
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