Full round one preview, Finals format, schedule, points, drivers, grid, analysis

A new season of Supercars action is almost upon us and there is plenty to look forward to, from a big question hanging over one of the sport’s most successful teams to a shake-up which means points are only more important than ever in 2025.

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Here, foxsports.com.au looks over five of the biggest talking points ahead of Round 1!

ONE EYE ON THIS YEAR, ONE ON NEXT

The start of the 2025 season begins Friday night at Sydney Motorsport Park, but much of the talk will be forecasting ahead to the 2026 championship – and what impact it has directly on this year’s results.

The biggest and most successful team in the sport’s history, Triple Eight Engineering, who won the driver’s championship last year with Will Brown – is embarking on their final season as a Chevrolet team.

While they are fully focused on continuing their dominant form as the 2025 factory Chevy team with Brown and Broc Feeney this season, much of their focus will be on moving to Ford next year. This not only revolves around a full change of cars and equipment, but they will also serve as the Blue Oval’s homologation team.

In short – it’s a seismic change.

It means staff within the all-conquering team will be split – with some focusing solely on this season, and many turning their attention towards the Ford program.

Can the team walk and chew a giant mouthful of gum at the same time?

The twin Red Bull Ampol cars deserve to be favourites for this opening weekend and for this year’s championship, but will there be a tipping point where the team looks more towards life as a Ford team over the drive to win as a Chev?

Golding’s car catches fire in Sydney | 00:59

Certainly if 888 can maintain their hot form and winning ways right up until Adelaide with one manufacturer, before starting afresh with a new marque – it will truly show the world class ability of Jamie Whincup’s squad.

This is also relevant for perhaps the best driver in the pit lane, Chaz Mostert – who again looms as one of the key chances for this year’s crown.

But like Brown and Feeney – he will have a team divided with their focus.

Mostert’s Walkinshaw Andretti United team begins this season as a Ford team – but will be building brand new Toyotas for the opening to the 2026 season.

Toyota will pack a sizeable punch and have lofty expectations for their debut in the Aussie Touring Car series – so there will be a toll at WAU racing Mustangs this year while prepping and homologating Supras for next season and beyond.

It will be fascinating to watch if the drain on resources within the team has an impact on results on the track as this season rolls on.

The wildcard here will be with Chevrolet – and who and when they assign duties to their next team to carry their homologation duties for 2026.

Again – will the strain of focusing on the future impact the now?

Chaz Mostert poses ahead of the new season. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

BRODIE IN NEW HOME

The biggest move of the off season has seen the 2023 Supercars champion walk into the sport’s most famous team.

After a tumultuous title defence, Brodie Kostecki, now calls the legend Dick Johnson’s Shell V-Power Racing Team home.

Despite the difficulties he faced in his final season at Erebus, Kostecki showed when he’s on he has no peer in pit lane – reflected in his dominant wins at the Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 500.

The union of the duo comes at an ideal time for both.

Kostecki has been damaged by the past 12 months.

But DJR’s Shell team has had four seasons in the wilderness since Scott McLaughlin departed for the USA after his three championship winning seasons with the famous squad.

So both driver and team will lean on the other to bring themselves back to the top step of the podium.

Kostecki isn’t traveling alone – he’s brought with him his engineers from Erebus, George Commins and Tom Moore. Add to that, his new team has invested in one of his old team’s chassis to race in.

So there will be an element of Erebus in his new look Shell DJR Mustang.

“There’s really no excuses to be honest,” Kostecki said at the team launch earlier this month.

If team and driver can bond – results will again come for the most popular team in the sport.

Brodie Kostecki. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

PLAYING THE POINTS GAME

There will never be a focus more on points than in 2025 with the sport’s new Finals format debuting from October onwards.

Put simply – a bad round, or a wipeout weekend could blow an entire season up on the spot.

For the first time the season will be contested across a Sprint Cup and Enduro Cup, before points are tallied and the top ten only in the title fight then advance to the shiny new look Finals series.

The knockout format will ensure a wild Gold Coast 500 and Sandown 500 – before the final four race for the Championship at the season closing Adelaide 500.

Like our footy codes it’s fitting that the title will be decided on the final day of the season – but there will be plenty of bruised egos and missed opportunities along the way.

That ensures every single lap is important across the season.

There is a new Finals format this year.Source: Supplied

THE NEXT BREED – WHO IS OUR NEXT WINNER?

Blink and you miss the sport changing before our very eyes in look across the past handful of years.

Whincup and Tander are long gone. McLaughlin and Van Gisbergen are plying their trade over in the United States. We’ve watched Winterbottom grow from a teenager to title winner, get married and have kids, and now retire.

It leaves a new breed.

So who will are the young blokes coming through the ranks to become the next race winners?

Thomas Randle is no stranger to the sport – he has toiled and ticked off every box along the way – from Super 2 Champion, to Main Game debut, a maiden pole and podium – now the one goal to elude him, is a race win.

Surely a victory is on the cards this year for the likeable young Tickford racer – who with Cam Waters, will form a potent combo this season for Ford.

Thomas Randle. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Kids are getting their chance with some sizeable race boots to fill.

Full-time Melbourne stonemsason Cooper Murray gets his chance in the main game – replacing Brodie Kostecki at Erebus.

Much hyped South Australian teenager Kai Allen begins his rookie season paired with another young gun, Matt Payne, racing Mustangs at Grove Racing.

Another youngster debuts in the main series this weekend, with second generation racer Cameron Crick part of a Wildcard program with Matt Stone Racing’s Chevrolet squad.

The new faces are everywhere in pit lane as the sport evolves.

SHUT UP & DRIVE

The sport has been hamstrung for half a decade with a collective bitching and moaning inside pit lane regarding parity. It’s an issue the sport has juggled badly trying to ensure its cars – both Ford and Holden/Chevrolet are as even as possible – and certainly one doesn’t have an advantage over the other.

With Toyota’s debut just twelve months – it will be a factor for Supercars to contend with next year and beyond.

That’s why this year the sport needs a good, clean, even fight.

A fight where all teams are operating on a level playing field.

And we are devoid of the angst – so that Shane Howard, the sport’s boss can refer to Rihanna and tell his drivers to “shut up and drive”.

As the sports bosses go to market, the sport needs a wide-open battle to ensure the racing is at its best – especially in the final year of its lucrative television deal.

So whereas Supercars once started their season on the streets of Adelaide or Newcastle with blue riband events, Sydney Motorsport Park is the less than glamorous opener for the new season.

Triple 8 makes “bombshell move” | 00:55

It’s a stark contrast to NASCAR which just this Monday kicked off their new season with the biggest event on their calendar – the Daytona 500.

The series is counting down to 2027 when they can start their season on the streets of Perth outside Optus Stadium.

Organisers have loaded up races on Friday and Saturday night in prime time to take their chance with a decent crowd and TV numbers before the footy codes begin.

Timmy Trumpet is an interesting choice as the post-race concert – a far cry from the iconic Cold Chisel at the last start in Adelaide.

Still, if the racing is good this weekend the sport can set itself up for a wild run to November’s Grand Final on the streets of Adelaide.