Some years ago, Australia’s V8 Supercar Championship changed to a “control tyre” – that being that every competitor runs on the exact same tyre – manufacturer, compound, construction, etc. The theory is that “well off” teams can’t exploit their wealth with special deals with tyre companies to gain an advantage over everyone else.
On this particular day, at the now defunct Canberra 400, Marcos Ambrose didn’t have a “control tyre” issue – more, he had a “controlled tyre” issue.