Team 18 has confirmed that a software malfunction, rather than human error, was responsible for the fuel miscalculation that cost driver Anton De Pasquale a win at the Bathurst 1000. The Chevrolet factory team completed its investigation into the incident, revealing that a flaw in their fuel strategy software led to an insufficient final fuel fill, causing De Pasquale to run out of fuel on the last lap of the race at Mount Panorama.

Charlie Schwerkolt, Team 18’s boss, addressed the issue on Tuesday, stating that the glitch resulted in less fuel being added than necessary to complete the event. He emphasized that no individual would be held accountable and that there would be no job losses or staffing changes as a consequence of the error.

“We’ve had a glitch in the system and we have put less in than was required to finish the race,” Schwerkolt said. “There is no individual to blame and no one is losing their job. You have got to build on this. No one is leaving, no one is changing. I am backing them all, no changes.”

Schwerkolt also expressed determination to move forward quickly and regain momentum. With the first round of the Supercars finals approaching at the Gold Coast 500 from October 23 to 25, he pledged the team would enter the competition without any alterations to personnel. He affirmed the team’s ambition to prove its capabilities, especially for the sake of a disappointed De Pasquale and his co-driver Lee Holdsworth.

“We’ve all shed a few tears here, but now we are moving on with the Gold Coast,” Schwerkolt said. “It is a very quick turnaround and we’re going to prove to the doubters that we are a really, really strong team.”

De Pasquale and Schwerkolt both sit seventh in the Supercars standings as they prepare for the next stage of the championship. The team’s focus now turns to the upcoming finals as they seek to recover from the setback and finish the season on a high note.