Whincup apologises for Supercars Pukekohe safety car controversy

Whincup was a key figure in Sunday's safety car debacle as he ignored regulations and passed it after feeling aggrieved at being wrongly identified as the leader.

The seven-time champion then hit out at Supercars officials on TV after the race, claiming there are "people making decisions that are just cruising back, just having a few glasses of red each night, and rocking up to the track and the brain's not with it".

The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport announced on Monday that Whincup will be issued with a 'please explain' letter regarding his actions, from which a possible sanction will be determined.

Whincup has since responded with a declaration of remorse for both his actions and his comments.

"Now that the heat of the battle has subsided, I've had a chance to reflect on Sunday's race," said Whincup in a statement.

"I, without fail, give 110% in every race and that inevitably leads to passions running high.

"This passion spreads throughout the whole team and we had worked incredibly hard to put ourselves into a great position on Sunday.

"I have asked myself today, though, were my comments post-race helpful? The answer to that is no.

"I'm a big believer in helping people to do their jobs to the best of their ability, and that's what I should have focused on instead of criticising.

"While I knew I wasn't the leader of the race, and despite my engineer confidently telling me over the radio to not get held up by the safety car, the lights in front of me were orange.

"Every athlete in any sport needs to follow the directions of the officials, whether they feel the correct decision was made or not.

"I recognise I am a role model, and so the critical point I want to make to all the kids watching is that passing the safety car and going against the officials' decision isn't how we should play.

"In hindsight, I wish I made a smarter split-second decision.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that watched Pukekohe on the weekend, both at the track and on TV or online, as it was a cracking weekend of racing that really showed the current strength of our amazing sport."