Mark Winterbottom out Anton De Pasquale makes shock move to Team 18 for 2025
Mark Winterbottom will part ways with Team 18 at the end of the 2024 Supercars season, making room for Anton de Pasquale to take his seat for 2025. Winterbottom, the 2015 Supercars champion, confirmed the news on social media, revealing that Team 18, owned by Charlie Schwerkolt, has signed de Pasquale for the upcoming season.
“To my supporters, the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind, as I was told that Team 18 signed a different driver for 2025,” Winterbottom wrote. “I don’t really know what the future holds; I’m still digesting the news, but I know I can hold my head high as a professional sportsman. I have given 110% and loved working with the team crew and all the sponsors, you are great people. I truly value the support from my family, friends, sponsors, and supporters, at a time when I need it most.”
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Winterbottom, who joined Team 18 in 2019 after a long stint with Ford, secured one race win with the team at Hidden Valley last season. He will continue to race for the team in the endurance events, partnering with Michael Caruso as his co-driver.
Anton de Pasquale, a rising star in the Supercars circuit, is set to make his debut with Team 18, marking his first time racing a Chevrolet after spending four seasons with Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) in Ford machinery. “It’s a really exciting next step for me in my career and I’m looking forward to progressing with Charlie, Adrian [Burgess, team manager], and the team, and being a part of what they’re building for the future,” the 28-year-old said. “Looking forward to chasing that common goal and getting stuck into it next year!”
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The anticipated driver to replace de Pasquale at DJR is Brodie Kostecki, the 2023 Supercars Champion, who missed the early rounds of the current season with Erebus Motorsport. Kostecki is poised to join Will Davison in DJR’s Ford Mustangs. Meanwhile, the vacant Erebus seat is expected to be filled by Cooper Murray, a promising 23-year-old Super2 driver from Melbourne, who is set to share Triple Eight's wildcard entry with Craig Lowndes at Sandown and Bathurst.
De Pasquale, with eight of his nine career Supercar victories achieved at DJR, will aim for success in the endurance races alongside veteran co-driver Tony D'Alberto, as both drivers look to build on their new partnerships in the upcoming season.