Brodie Kostecki has lashed out at Supercars rival Chaz Mostert following Sunday’s crash in Christchurch, labelling the reigning champion’s manoeuvre as “malicious”.
Mostert copped a 30-second penalty for his “avoidable contact” with Kostecki at Ruapuna Raceway over the weekend, sending the Dick Johnson Racing driver off the track with three laps remaining; the crash cost him both the Jason Richards Trophy and the championship lead.
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Speaking to Fox Motorsport after the event, the 34-year-old tried to explain that it wasn’t his intention to send Kostecki off-track, albeit insinuating that his manoeuvre was an act of retaliation.
“Brodie was pretty adventurous down there at (turn) 2 – bowled me wide, so I let him know I was pretty upset with it,” Mostert said.
“I’m trying to find him, but I’m pretty sure Brodie doesn’t want to talk to me right now.”
Kostecki and Mostert were later seen arguing in the pit lane.
Payne & Kostecki claim chequered flags | 02:21
Speaking on his podcast Lucky Dogs, Kostecki took aim at Mostert’s “malicious” driving, claiming it wasn’t the first time the Walkinshaw TWG Racing driver had been guilty of recklessness on the track.
“There’s a difference between hard racing and, like, malicious manoeuvres,” Kostecki said.
“I thought it was probably pretty malicious, to be honest. And I only say it because this is the second time it’s happened in two weeks.
“It happened to Broc (Feeney) down the straight. I don’t know why it’s become a thing now where you can just drive people clear off (the road) or whatever else.
The 28-year-old added: “We all have lapses of judgement at times, but there’s a difference between a lapse in judgement and the malicious side.”
Kostecki also revealed what he and Mostert discussed after the race.
“Chaz came up to me afterwards and he tried to contact me afterwards, but he basically just pins it all back to turn two the whole time,” Kostecki explained.
“I was like, ‘Oh, well, I guess it’s just retaliation then’.
“He started having a go at me.
“Because I was like, ‘If you’re going to come down and apologise, just do it’. Don’t need explanations or whatever else.”
Speaking on Fox Sport’s MotorRacing 360 on Wednesday, journalist James Phelps questioned whether Kostecki’s comments had gone too far.
“These comments made by Brodie came 24 hours (later), it wasn’t made in the heat of the moment,” he said.
“It’s a very big claim, he’s thought about it.
“It’s almost saying, ‘You intentionally knocked me out.’”
Former Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom continued: “We’re super competitive, we’re thick-skinned, we’ve got big egos … there’s always opinions.
“It’s water off a duck’s back, because you race these people, you’ve got to get under their skin.
“You want to have respect, and Chaz has respect.
“This isn’t (Mostert) every weekend, it’s one move, we move on.”
The Supercars Championship resumes in Tasmania from May 22-24.