Will Brown's #888 Red Bull Racing has been driving with an underpowered engine this season. (Getty Images: Daniel Kalisz)
Red Bull Triple Eight Race Engineering driver Will Brown has been driving a car with an undersized airflow restrictor all season.
The issue was found by the team this week, 25 races into the 2026 season.
Brown will now be driving with an engine on parity with the other Mustangs during the next round at Queensland Raceway in Ipswich on August 21-23.
Supercars and Triple Eight Race Engineering have both responded after the revelation that 2024 champion Will Brown has been driving with an engine airflow restrictor that is 1 millimetre undersized all season.
Throughout 25 races in 2026, Brown has achieved one pole position and two podiums, while teammate Broc Feeney has five wins in what should be similar machinery.
But on Tuesday night, following a poor outing for Brown in Perth two weekends ago, Red Bull Triple Eight Race Engineering found Brown's Ford Mustang has been underpowered all season.
"After Perth we promised Will, his crew and all stakeholders associated with Car #888, which includes our beloved fans, that we would leave no stone unturned and find reasons why Car #888 has not been fighting for race wins recently," team principal Jamie Whincup said.
"At 7pm [Tuesday] night we found a significant issue on Car #888.
"Since the start of this season, Car #888 has been running with an undersized engine airflow restrictor. This part manages the airflow into the engine and has a significant negative impact on engine performance, and therefore lap time.
"This is not a part we, Triple Eight or Red Bull Ampol Racing, manufacture. This is a supplied part from Supercars expected to be the same for all 11 Ford Mustangs, distributed at the start of the season and expected to be run for the whole season."
Will Brown has just two podiums from 25 races this season. (Getty Images: Daniel Kalisz)
Whincup said the undersized part was costing Brown 0.15 seconds per lap, explaining why the Red Bull Triple Eight Race Engineering driver has struggled for pace often this year.
"We as a team are taking responsibility and want to deeply apologise to everyone involved for allowing this to happen," Whincup said.
"While this error has cost our team a considerable amount of resource, sport is an emotional game and these types of things have knock-on effects bigger than the average 1.5 tenths a lap.
