Supercars News: Feeney beats Kostecki in Saturday Melbourne SuperSprint

In a heart-pounding display of defensive driving amid a barrage of crashes and penalties, Broc Feeney snatched victory in Race 5 of the 2026 Melbourne Supersprint at Albert Park, fending off a relentless Brodie Kostecki by a razor-thin margin of just 0.1447 seconds.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver, starting from pole, navigated two Safety Car periods and survived minor contact with his pursuer to reclaim the championship lead, turning what he called a “pretty disappointing” weekend into a triumphant one.

The 15-lap sprint—shortened from 19 due to time constraints following the disruptions—unfolded like a demolition derby from the outset. Chaos erupted on lap 1 when James Golding squeezed Matt Payne into the concrete at Turn 2, leaving Payne’s Penrite Ford with multiple punctures and forcing him to retire without completing a lap.

Further back, Cam Hill tagged Zach Bates, who in turn spun Jayden Ojeda, while a separate melee saw Will Brown penalized—his fourth infraction in six races—for contact with Cooper Murray at Turn 11, sending Murray into the gravel and triggering the first Safety Car on lap 3.

Restarts only amplified the aggression. After the first green flag on lap 7, Kostecki surged past Aaron Cameron for second and began hounding Feeney, culminating in a lap 12 incident where Kostecki’s Shell V-Power Ford made light contact with Feeney’s left-rear at Turn 9, tipping him briefly through the grass. Kostecki wisely backed off to avoid gaining an unfair advantage, but the pressure never relented. Meanwhile, Ryan Wood earned a 30-second penalty for clouting Thomas Randle into the wall at Turn 5 on lap 8, prompting the second Safety Car and ending Randle’s day early.

Cam Waters advanced to third with a bold move on Cameron, involving side-to-side contact at Turns 11 and 12, while late drama saw Brown and Cameron tangle again at Turn 4 on the penultimate lap, spinning both into the pits and relegating them to 20th and 21st. Kai Allen impressed with a brief overtake on Waters before settling for fourth, leading a Ford-dominated top four ahead of Chaz Mostert’s Toyota in fifth.

Feeney, reflecting on the battle, praised Kostecki’s speed: “Brodie was much quicker, doing a phenomenal job this weekend. It was an awesome race, lots of fun—to hold him off was tough.” Kostecki reciprocated: “Broc drove a great race. He put his car in the right spots. I had to make some risky moves, and we had a little coming together, so I gave it back.”

The win marks Feeney’s back-to-back successes at Albert Park, but the race’s wild nature—punctuated by penalties for Brown and Wood—has sparked calls for cleaner racing as the series heads to its next round.

2026 Melbourne SuperSprint – Race 5 Results