Supercars: DJR Team Penske Hit with Significant $250,000 Fine

After their controversial tactics used in the Bathurst 1000, DJR Team Penske have received multiple penalties, including a substantial $250,000 fine.

The team’s ‘go-slow’ instructions for Fabian Coulthard on lap 134 of The Great Race has since been scrutinised by many fellow racers and teams.

Despite DJRTP having been found guilty of breaching FIA regulations, Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat have still maintained their Bathurst victory, of which was debatably won by the unfair strategies.

The CAMS stewards held a meeting on Saturday 19th to discuss what actions should be taken, with the announcement of these being released Sunday, a week after Race 25.

The $250,000 fine was not the only penalty imposed on the team – DJRTP have been deducted 300 points from the teams’ championship total, and Fabian Coulthard’s final race standings lowered from P6 to P21, the lowest of all chequered flag finishers. As a result, DJRTP only lead the teams’ championship by a much lowered 423 point margin, and Coulthard now falls from third to fourth in the drivers’ standings, 907 points behind teammate and leader McLaughlin.

The fine itself is the biggest ever dealt in Supercars’ history, with $150,000 to be paid upfront, and the remaining $100,000 by 2021. The magnitude of the ‘go-slow’ event was so major, the incident had to be dealt under the FIA’s Obligation of Fairness rather than by Supercars alone.

The team were accused of breaching Rule D24.1, which prohibits the use of team orders as follows:

‘24.1.1 Means an instruction to a Driver or Team member, either verbal or otherwise the effect of which may interfere with a race result.

24.1.2 It is not permitted for any sponsor, supplier, entity or related entity, including an Automobile manufacturer, importer or their representative to impose or seek to impose Team orders, on any Team.’

In response to the breach, DJRTP released a statement:

“After reviewing data from Car #12 following the Bathurst 1000 with the Stewards and Deputy Race Director, DJR Team Penske accepts the penalties issued related to the FIA International Sporting Code. The team will be making no further comment at this time.”

The initial call for the proceeding came from Coulthard’s team radio, informing him to drive slowly with concerns of debris on track. However, the team later argued that the decision was made to prevent overheating issues in the car. Such tactics avoided a double-stacking problem in pitlane for the Shell V-Power Mustangs, and also allowed McLaughlin to pit comfortably without losing track position, as attackers were kept behind Coulthard’s car.

Over team radio, second-place finisher Shane van Gisbergen angrily said;

“Fabian is going stupidly slow! Fabian is going stupidly slow!” – Van Gisbergen

Van Gisbergen, who races for Red Bull Holden Racing Team, was affected greatly by the event, and potentially stopped him claiming a win around the Mountain. Red Bull were some of the strongest campaigners for punishment on DJRTP, as they try to close the gap on both the teams’ and drivers’ current championship standings.

Many other drivers have had their say on the matter, including teammate McLaughlin, who said speaking on Fox Sports’ Loud Pedal Podcast;

“I believe we won it fair and square, it just sucks we have to deal with all this stuff. What probably should be the greatest week of my life, I’m not going to lie, it has been a bit sad and it could have been a lot better for us to enjoy it.” – Scott McLaughlin

These comments come after other drivers, such as David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth, accused the team of ‘match-fixing’ the race unfairly.

However, some drivers have defended the DJRTP pair. Third-place finisher James Courtney, who speaking to supercars.com before the fine was issued said;

“They’re just doing their job, they’re doing what their team tells them to do. So I feel sorry for those guys for getting all of the heat they’re getting. Definitely the team did something that shouldn’t have been done and I’m sure they’ll be punished for it… but ultimately Scott didn’t do anything wrong, it was the team. So I think taking the win off Scott would be pretty harsh”. – James Courtney

As far as everything is concerned, all the drama seems to have reached its conclusion – the penalty has been dealt, with DJRTP accepting the result. This upcoming weekend welcomes the next instalment of the Endurance Series, with the teams and drivers tackling the narrow and intricate Gold Coast street circuit. Hopefully there will be good, clean, controversy-free racing in abundance for us all to enjoy…