Mostert Penalized After Late-Race Contact with Kostecki in Christchurch

A 30-second time penalty was issued to driver Chaz Mostert following on-track contact with Brodie Kostecki during the final race of the Christchurch Supercars round. The incident, which occurred on the penultimate lap, resulted in Kostecki's car leaving the track. Post-race, drivers offered differing views on the severity of the penalty and the nature of the contact.

Incident Summary

The contact between Chaz Mostert and Brodie Kostecki took place between Turns 2 and 3 on the penultimate lap of the race. According to reports, the contact occurred as Kostecki was attempting to pass Mostert.

The impact sent Kostecki's Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang off the track and into the infield.

The car then spun back across the circuit at Turn 3 but avoided contact with other vehicles. Driver Will Brown, who was following the incident, took evasive action off the track to avoid the spinning car.

Official Penalty

Race officials investigated the incident and issued a 30-second time penalty to Chaz Mostert. This penalty adjusted Mostert's finishing position to 17th place in the final race standings for the Christchurch round, which was held in competition for the Jason Richards trophy.

Driver Statements and Reactions

Statements from those involved and other figures presented differing perspectives on the incident and the penalty.

Brodie Kostecki described the contact on his podcast, stating Mostert's car made side-to-side contact with him multiple times. He characterized the final contact as being "hip-checked off the road" and labeled the maneuver as "malicious."

Kostecki also reported that Mostert approached him after the race and, according to Kostecki, attributed his actions to Kostecki's overtake at Turn 2.

Kostecki said the conversation did not constitute a clear apology.

Chaz Mostert was observed discussing the incident with Kostecki after the race, but no public statement from Mostert was detailed in the provided sources.

Will Brown questioned whether the 30-second penalty was sufficient, suggesting a penalty involving championship points might have been more appropriate.

Craig Lowndes, a former Supercars driver, stated he considered the 30-second penalty to be fair. He said he did not believe Mostert's actions were malicious but described them as "over the line."

Context and Background

The incident has drawn comparisons to previous on-track contacts. Kostecki noted a similar recent incident involving another driver, Broc Feeney. A separate incident last year at Queensland Raceway, where Cam Hill received a drive-through penalty for contact with Zach Bates, also led to discussions about penalty severity.

Prior to this event, Brodie Kostecki had publicly expressed concerns about safety at the circuit, specifically regarding earth-filled tire barriers.