In Tasmania the DJR Team Penske outfit proved its dominant form in the non-championship races at Albert Park were no flash in the pan as Coulthard headed team-mate McLaughlin across the line in the fourth race of the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

But the Ford pair did not have things all their own way. Jamie Whincup had taken pole position in qualifying and led the early running, with McLaughlin only managing to relinquish Whincup of the lead in a breathtaking high-speed tussle on the semi-wet track.

“As per usual Jamie and I have awesome battles,” McLaughlin said. “I got up the inside of him at the hairpin and I was going to be on the wet-side of him for the next corner so just held it flat round the kink and it was sketchy.

“It was tight and we were banging doors but that’s what it’s all about and it was good. I knew it was a big pass ‘cause we were pretty similar on fuel and I needed to get it done.”

But a subsequent delayed pitstop saw McLaughlin lose his hard-won lead. Fellow Ford driver Chaz Mostert assumed control and led for most of the race until a minor error saw him slide wide and drop several positions.

Mostert’s mistake was the opportunity Coulthard needed, and after battling his way up to second place he found himself in the lead in the closing stages, and with his DJR Team Penske team-mate in second place. They kept it that way till the end.

“Yeah it’s great not only for me but for the 1-2 finish,” Coulthard said. “Scotty and I finished at the front but the team are the ones that do that hard work in the background so wrapped for the whole team.

“We just keep improving our car week-in and week-out and we just focus on what we are doing and hopefully the results speak for themselves.”

Whincup was third from Triple Eight team-mate Craig Lowndes, David Reynolds, Cam Waters, Mostert, Tim Slade and Shane van Gisbergen.

It had been an eventful day for points leader van Gisbergen, who looked a likely outright contender before copping a 15-second penalty for contact with Todd Kelly’s Nissan.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodore driver had been declared the winner of the previous day’s race, which turned out to be a shortened four-lap farce for which no championship points were awarded.

The race was stopped on the second lap due to a major pileup that accounted for no less than 12 cars. All drivers emerged from the wreckage, although Tekno Commodore driver Will Davison was taken to hospital with lower back pain.

Close friend Whincup says Davison may face a lengthy recover after the 12G impact crash.

“He was able to get in and out of the car but he’s still not walking properly so it’s going to take some time for him to recover from this one,” Whincup said.

Van Gisbergen retains the championship lead as they head to Phillip Island for the third round, but only because Coulthard was handed a 35-point penalty for his role in Saturday’s 12-car crash.