De Pasquale to replace Winterbottom at Team 18

In a shock move, current Dick Johnson Racing driver Anton De Pasquale has signed a deal with Charlie Schwerkolt’s Team 18 to replace Mark Winterbottom, turning his back on an apparent offer from PremiAir Racing.

AUTO ACTION also expects that Brodie Kostecki will be announced as his replacement at Dick Johnson Racing as soon as the 2023 champion’s current contract with Erebus allows for a public announcement.

De Pasquale has been the centre of speculation since the young gun driver and DJR prospect Kai Allen was confirmed at Grove Racing.

Most pundits attached him to PremiAir as Tim Slade’s replacement, and we believe negotiations were well advanced when Schwerkolt appeared from left field.

Mark Winterbottom has been racing Supercars full time since 2004. Image: Mark Horsburgh

Schwerkolt put an offer on the table, and the deal was made.

PremiAir hoped that De Pasquale’s relationship with engineer Ludo Lacroix, with whom he worked at DJR, might help close the deal, but it doesn’t seem to have been enough to cover off the persuasive Schwerkolt.

On his social media channels Winterbottom has confirmed his departure from Team 18 at the end of 2024 and has said that Team 18 advised him that they have signed a different driver for 2025, indicating that he was pushed rather than stepping back from his full time role.

At the time of breaking this story parties involved did not answer calls from AUTO ACTION.

Previously he has spoken about the next phase of his career being involved in the management at Team 18, and it will be interesting to see if this happens.

It will also be of interest to see if his talents as a driver are going to be retained by Team 18, as Winterbottom would be a huge asset to any team as an experienced and still fast co-driver.

De Pasquale is the last of the big names to settle his future for 2025, and, if the speculation is true, PremiAir’s Peter Xiberras remains in the hunt for a suitable replacement for Tim Slade – while likely settling on James Golding for another season.

A seat with PremiAir would be viewed as a strong option for any driver wanting to race in the Supercars series.

If the speculation is true, the question must be asked as to why De Pasquale is moving on from DJR and why he was overlooked at Grove Racing, given his long-term involvement with them, in favour of a rookie.

As tipped last week by AUTO ACTION, we expect Cooper Murray to replace Kostecki at Erebus and join Allen as a main-game rookie next season, as the last seats are being filled.

More on The Auto Action RevLimiter Podcast, where we discuss all the latest driver moves.

How we see the 2025 grid shaping up… There are probably some changes to come.

* Confirmation Pending

^ Unlikely to remain

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