Waters, DJR make huge jumps heading to New Zealand

He may have lost the points lead in Melbourne, but Cam Waters will be among the happiest drivers heading to New Zealand in 2025 after returning a monster year-on-year gain.

12 months ago, the Tickford Racing star languished in 16th overall after a horror start to 2024, with his championship hopes already in tatters. Come 2025, and Waters sits second, gaining 14 positions year-on-year.

Waters is one of four drivers to have gained 10 or more positions relative to last year, with Team 18 recruit Anton De Pasquale continuing his impressive start to life in DEWALT colours.

De Pasquale racked up a DNF and DNS at last year's Grand Prix with Dick Johnson Racing, and sat a lowly 21st. This year, he heads to New Zealand a solid seventh. Only Waters, Will Brown and De Pasquale have finished all races in the top 10.

Ryan Wood has also made a huge jump, sitting 12th heading to his home event in 2025 after slumping to 24th and last 12 months ago. The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver surprisingly leads star teammate Chaz Mostert 4-3 in the qualifying head-to-head, and is just 36 points from the top 10.

Then, there's Cameron Hill, who won his first Supercars race in Melbourne and finished third for the weekend. Hill was only 16th after Sydney, but gained eight positions in the champion to hit a career-best eighth in Melbourne.

The biggest losers, clearly, are David Reynolds and Richie Stanaway. Reynolds and Stanaway were fifth and sixth last year after Round 2, but both have dropped 17 positions year-on-year to sit 22nd and 23rd.

Drivers' championship year-on-year gains after Round 2

In teamland, the Shell V-Power Racing Team is starting to see the benefits of its off-season rebuild. The Ford team left Melbourne fourth overall; last year, it languished in 10th of 12 teams.

Star recruit Brodie Kostecki is fifth overall and just two points behind fourth-placed Mostert. While Will Davison is three positions worse off, he is only 39 points from 10th.

Ford rivals Tickford and WAU have also made impressive gains, while both Brad Jones Racing crews have also jumped up. Notably, Macauley Jones has gained four positions, and Jaxon Evans three.

The biggest losers are Erebus Motorsport, which sits second last in the teams' championship. Erebus had drivers in 11th and 12th after Round 2 last year. This year, the team's two drivers are in 15th and 21st.

The Grand Prix was a disaster for the 2023 champions, with Jack Le Brocq and rookie Cooper Murray both suffering DNFs.

Teams' championship year-on-year gains after Round 2