Albert Park V8s: Van Gisbergen leads all-Triple Eight podium

After the top four ran line astern for first couple of laps – van Gisbergen leading Whincup, Chaz Mostert, and Fabian Coulthard – the Kiwi broke away from the pack towards the end of Lap 3.

His opportunity came when Whincup and Mostert started squabbling over second place, giving van Gisbergen just enough of an advantage to pull away.

Once in front he never looked back, bagging his second victory of the day at Albert Park.

It wound up being a Triple Eight 1-2-3, with Lowndes and Whincup filling out the podium. The beginning of Lap 6 was the crucial moment for the pack behind van Gisbergen; Lowndes passed Coulthard on the run into Turn 1, at the exact moment that Mostert ran wide and fell back behind that pair.

Lowndes then went on to put significant pressure on team-mate Whincup, the thrilling battle reaching its climax just three corners from the end when the veteran barged past to grab P2 and demote Whincup to third.

Coulthard and Mostert battled over P4 until the end, the DJR Team Penske narrowly winning out, while Garth Tander and James Courtney swapped plenty of paint as they staged a thrilling battle over sixth place a little further down the road.

Scott Pye had been in the running very early on, but a trip through the gravel at Turn 1 at the beginning of the second lap sent him tumbling from P5 to P17.