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Team working on Mostert 'blowtorch' burn fix

Walkinshaw Andretti United will run additional ducting to the footwell of its Holdens tomorrow after Chaz Mostert and Bryce Fullwood both suffered with hot pedals during today's race.

Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden

Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden

Daniel Kalisz

Mostert in particular was seen resting his feet in ice after finishing seventh on debut for the team today, while rookie Fullwood was also affected by heat coming through the pedals.

The former described the sensation as being like a "blowtorch".

"It's just a hot firewall, new car, new team, different things," he told the TV broadcast immediately after the race.

"It was probably about Lap 20, it felt like a blowtorch on your foot. I just managed along, [it was] pretty hot in there, but I'll see how it is a bit later when it cools off."

The problem is reasonably common at the Adelaide circuit, particularly in severe weather conditions such as the 2019 event. However comparatively mild conditions today meant it wasn't a widespread issue.

WAU co-team principal Mathew Nilsson put the issue down to the race being both Mostert and Fullwood's first long run in the car, and said fixes were underway for tomorrow.

"There's a couple of things we can tidy up," he said. "It was [Mostert's] first long run in the car. It's a new cockpit a for him, and a new pedal set-up and boots and uniform and all of that.

"It's stuff we can address overnight and give him a bit more comfort. We can put some more fans and give him some more cooling. Nothing has fundamentally changed in the cars, it's just new drivers and how they drive the car.

"We can run fans, we can run more ducting. It's not going to rain, so you can use your screen fans to keep the pedals a bit cooler."

Mostert spent much of the race locked in battle with former Tickford teammates Will Davison and Cam Waters, dropping off that pack in the last of the three stints.

When asked if he thought the burn issue affected Mostert's performance in the latter part of the race, Nilsson said: "It's not optimal, you want them to be able to push all the way to the end.

"I'm sure it was on his mind. He reported with a bit of the race to go that he was going to need the ice bucket, so it was on his mind.

"We need to address it and make sure it's much better for him tomorrow. He pushed on the best he could, but we want him to be fit and healthy throughout the race."

Reflecting on the race as a whole, Nilsson said it was a promising start with an all new driver line-up, even if Fullwood's afternoon was compromised by swiping the wall at Turn 11.

"I think for our first race meeting with both drivers, they're fitting in so well with the team," he said.

"The feedback has been really good, debriefing and all that stuff has been great. It's understanding what they want in the car and being able to give it to them.

"Bryce has stepped up every session, but we tuned it up the wrong way for him in qualifying. We need to learn what he needs to take the next step.

"But I can't fault how everyone is working together."

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