No full-time drive for Winterbottom in 2025
Supercars
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No full-time drive for Mark Winterbottom in 2025
2015 champion to miss first full-time season since 2003
Winterbottom replaced by Anton De Pasquale at Team 18
Mark Winterbottom has confirmed he will not be on the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship grid in a full-time capacity, ending a 21-year run in the main game.
In a heartfelt video, the 43-year-old thanked family, friends, fans and sponsors, with Winterbottom labelled the announcement “surreal.”
The announcement, made on the eve of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, comes just weeks after Winterbottom confirmed his exit from Team 18, which had signed outgoing Dick Johnson Racing driver Anton De Pasquale.
It led to weeks of speculation over Winterbottom’s future, with the 2015 champion recently linked to Brad Jones Racing. After the Repco Bathurst 1000, Winterbottom claimed he will be back in 2025 to win the race.
On Thursday, the driver himself has stated he definitely won’t return to a full-time seat in 2025.
"I am here today to announce that after 21 years in the driver's seat, I won't be driving full time in 2025,” Winterbottom said.
"It feels surreal to say these words. It's a real mix of emotions and it doesn't make it easy when you still have the fire in your belly and that red mist in your eyes.
"Things don't always go your way in life though, but life is about looking forward and that's what I plan to do.”
While not a formal retirement announcement, Winterbottom said his news is a case of “as one door closes, another door opens.”
For now, Winterbottom will prepare for his first year out of the main game since 2003, teasing that he has another announcement “coming very shortly."
"I'm going to miss the pressure of qualifying where every lap is filled with adrenaline, precision, extracting every millimetre from the machine,” he said.
"And I'm going to miss the cockpit. I'm going to miss seeing all of my supporters at different tracks. I'm going to miss all of the wonderful sponsors. Some partners have been on this journey with me for over 15 years.
"It has been both a privilege and a pleasure to hold a profile in this sport. I've taken my responsibility as a role model seriously, and I've loved every moment.
"I really hope to be remembered as a humble, independent person. Genuine, and just a bloody good person. To my beautiful family, thank you for many sacrifices while supporting me to go racing for all these years.
"I do believe things happen for a reason though. And it is true that when one door closes, another door opens.
“While I no longer will be on the grid full time, I do plan to continue to get back to this sport that I love and the amazing people that surround it with another announcement coming very shortly."
Winterbottom reached the highest heights of Supercars, winning the 2013 Bathurst 1000 and 2015 drivers’ championship, both with Tickford Racing, formally Ford Performance Racing and Prodrive Racing Australia.
A household name in Australian sport, Winterbottom won 39 races, claimed 36 pole positions and 120 podiums, in what has so far proved a 285-round, 641-race career. Only Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander have started more races, while only Jamie Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen and Lowndes stood on more podiums.
Winterbottom holds his 2013 and 2015 triumphs dear, adding: "As a driver, you come into this sport wanting to win the championship and Bathurst and I've had the privilege to achieve both goals.
"In 2013, victory was won by a tiny margin. On that last lap, we all held our breath, but I had been planning that move from laps prior. It blew me away to hear thousands of people chanting Frosty in celebration at the podium, and that's a moment I'll never forget.
"I've always felt that winning the championship, was the ultimate as it tested you over an entire season. In 2015, I had a year of unforgettable races, pushed on by my teammates to win that championship.
"These two achievements will always hold a special place in my heart, and it is nice to reflect upon them."
Winterbottom will resume his 2024 Repco Supercars Championship campaign at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 25-27. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
Live coverage can be found on Foxtel, with live streaming available on Kayo. The Seven Network will take free to air coverage. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.
