Crossing the line in third place, Jamie Whincup joked with the commentators on how he couldn't see over the ‘bump' in his bonnet, and how he was looking at landmarks to make sure he knew where he was going. Following on from that initial conversation, the Red Bull Holden Racing driver has revealed that even in his opinion, he should have been black-flagged for the damage he continued to race with.
The 88 was damaged in the incident between Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen when he took a big hit to the front of his car with smoke instantly billowing from the car. It was thought that the 6 time champions' race was run. But he managed to keep going in a rather unorthodox fashion to finish the race on the podium!
“I don't want to say too much because I probably should have been black flagged. I couldn't see a thing. Coming down the straight I was on the grass. I didn't know I was on the grass until I felt the car was wheel-spinning and pointing sideways,” he said after the race. “Over the hill was shocking though. I was sort of pushing myself up as hard as I could in the seat, and looking over the top. I couldn't see a thing.”
“I was just looking at landmarks and trees and things around the track to try and get an idea of where I was. Thank god it's a circuit we've been to a lot, because a new circuit I would have been absolutely knackered. It's a place you know and you're just going by feel on the bumps and half know where you are.”
“Once you get on the brakes you're alright, you can find the apexes, the nose goes down, but under acceleration anywhere, no chance that you could see anything. Not fun.”
"The tyre, I was sure that was going to blow out. The amount of smoke that was pumping out... on the straight I felt the brakes were coming on, every time we'd bounce it would bind up on the tyre and the brakes were coming on. I was sure I was going to last two laps max. Somehow, someone was looking down on me and it lasted the full 11."
