Brown steady, Tickford stumbles: Key questions to be answered

The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship took a big turn at the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint, with Will Brown taking the points lead amid a rollercoaster weekend for Tickford Racing.

Three weeks ago in Sydney, the same driver claimed all three poles and wins in Sydney in Cam Waters. So, what about Melbourne? Three different winners from three starts, despite Broc Feeney sweeping the poles.

The manic sprints encouraged crazy racing, and that's what we got. Add to that, a freer approach to driving standards, and there was mayhem at times.

The weather won the final day, with Supercars, Formula 2 and Formula 3 races all affected. However, it didn't dampen the spirits of what was a wild weekend, and one that could prove telling in the overall championship picture as we head to New Zealand.

There's plenty to unpack, as we dive into five key questions below.

Who can challenge Brown’s consistency?

James: Will Brown was Supercars' Mr Consistent in 2024, finishing on the podium at every single round en route to the championship. Through two rounds in 2025, Brown has five podiums in a row, an average finish of 2.67, and the points lead. While he has one win through six races, Brown is back on top, maximising results and scoring points. Only Shane van Gisbergen (18) and Scott McLaughlin (15) have longer streaks of rounds with a podium finish than Brown's 14, and the reigning champion doesn't look like slowing down any time soon.

Which Tickford do we really have in 2025?

Zac: After putting an absolute demolition job on the field at Sydney, a lot of people looked for Tickford, and especially Cam Waters, to carry on their momentum into Melbourne. However, a lack of one lap speed cruelled both Waters and Thomas Randle at Albert Park, with both drivers starting outside the top 20 for the first race on Thursday. Waters would put in what is arguably one of his greatest drives to soar from 22nd to sixth on Thursday, however it was abundantly clear that it was a weekend of damage limitation with a lack of pace. Waters lost the championship lead to Brown, however was very likely to gain it back had Race 7 gone ahead yesterday by virtue of starting 15 places ahead of the Red Bull Camaro. Whilst The Finals place more of an emphasis at performing in the back end of the season, consistency can still set up your run to Adelaide. Waters has proven he's unstoppable at his best, but his and Tickford's lows could prove costly.

What next with drivers and driving standards?

James: The racing was crazy, chaotic and, importantly, entertaining. However, the bubble burst on a number of occasions, with Ryan Wood penalised over a clash that sent Jack Le Brocq into the wall, and Chaz Mostert pinged for sending James Golding into the gravel. The likes of Will Brown and Nick Percat felt they had gotten up to speed with the new order of driving standards, while Le Brocq unsurprisingly wanted some of his rivals to take "good hard look at ourselves and clean up our act." Albert Park has often produced wild racing, so it will be fascinating to see how drivers respond in Taupō, and beyond.

Can MSR carry momentum?

Zac: They were strong at Albert Park last year, but few could've anticipated Matt Stone Racing's performance over the weekend. The team's one-two finish on Friday was sublime, and showed that they can take any opportunity that comes their way. Cam Hill had been threatening a breakthrough after a much-improved sophomore season in 2024, and it came in a hurry for the Canberran, who delivered a maiden podium, front row start, and victory. Nick Percat also showed he still has plenty of fight too, with a brave drive to third on Saturday despite a power steering failure. As a result, MSR launched from last to fifth in the teams standings, whilst Hill and Percat both vaulted into the top 10 in the drivers points. If MSR can carry the confidence and momentum into the rest of the Repco Sprint Cup, they could be an interesting wildcard in the race for The Finals.

Is this an early look at how big weekends will impact Finals placings chase?

James: Matt Stone Racing turned Sydney headaches into Melbourne gold, with Cameron Hill and Nick Percat both scoring podiums, and Hill a win. Crucially, Hill and Percat are eighth and 10th in points, which is where drivers need to be if they want to score a Finals berth come October. We'll keep saying it, but every race matters; this weekend, MSR made it count, and now have a taste of what it takes to play into the Finals discussion. Will another team make a big play at the next round in New Zealand?

Is this the start of DJR hitting real form?

James: Dick Johnson Racing was very strong in Taupō last year, both drivers scoring podiums and Anton De Pasquale claiming the Jason Richards Trophy. Two rounds in, and both Brodie Kostecki and Will Davison have come close to the podium. In fact, as you can see in the image above, that's how close they got, with Nick Percat defying a power steering issue to hold off both DJR drivers on the last lap. The famous Ford team is in a much better place heading to New Zealand than last year. Have Kostecki and Davison now had enough time to get to grips with their new cars and engineers to strike gold in New Zealand?