After a difficult start to his 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) campaign, Australian driver James Wharton finally had a weekend to celebrate in Barcelona, securing victory in the Sprint Race and delivering PREMA Racing’s first win since 2024.
The result was a welcome reward after a challenging opening phase of the season. Wharton’s campaign began with disappointment in Melbourne, where contact with teammate Louis Sharp compromised the team’s weekend, while a strong qualifying performance in Monaco failed to translate into the results he had been searching for.
In Barcelona, however, everything finally came together.
Wharton’s 2026 Barcelona round
Reflecting on the weekend, Wharton described Saturday’s Sprint Race victory as the strongest day PREMA has enjoyed all season.
“Overall, I feel like we have a lot of positives to take away, not just in the way every weekend we say that, but Saturday was the best day we’ve had in 2026 so far and that was a day where we actually got to show our true pace and show what we can do when we’re at the pointy end of the grid.”
The Australian believes the victory demonstrated the speed that has existed within both himself and the team throughout the year, even if results have not always reflected it.
“At the end of the day, when the cars in the window, when I’m in the window, I think we’re one of the fastest cars on track.”
Despite standing on the top step, Wharton acknowledged that consistency remains PREMA’s biggest challenge.
“It’s just, we’re struggling to find the consistency, and I feel like on Sunday that showed a bit where we didn’t quite have the pace that we did on Saturday, so we still have a lot of work to do.”
Even so, he was keen to recognise the progress made by the entire team during the Spanish weekend.
“We still have lots of things to improve but I’m very happy with this weekend and I want the team to be happy as well with how they’ve performed this week.”
PREMA’s first major points haul
The Barcelona victory also marked PREMA’s first major points haul of the season, something Wharton hopes will act as a springboard for future success.
“At the end of the day, we scored our first points, well first major points as a team so we need to take that into the next week, and we need to just keep building on this at the end of the day.”
While pleased with the breakthrough result, the Australian has his sights set on more than Sprint Race success.
“Right now, we are one of the top teams, but we need to focus on that and keep building to hopefully get on the podium more often and be fighting at the front, not just in the Sprint but in the Feature as well.”
Looking at the team’s performance across the 2026 F3 Barcelona round, Wharton believes the current PREMA package provides a strong foundation, particularly over race distances. However, he feels the team may need to be more aggressive with its setup approach to maximise qualifying performance.
“I just feel like we’ve got a car that is very, very easy to drive and maybe it’s a little bit too easy in a way. I feel like we need to be a little bit more aggressive on what we do with the car but at the same time it’s a good thing in a way as the race pace is really strong because of it so we just have to have a bit more compromise from qualifying to the race is the biggest thing to work on.”
Next up: Spielberg
The next stop on the Formula 3 calendar is Spielberg, where Wharton heads with a level of confidence that has been largely absent throughout the opening rounds.
Although PREMA encountered several issues during the recent in-season test at the Red Bull Ring, the Australian believes the pace shown in Barcelona offers encouragement for what lies ahead.
“The test was very positive. It was not the cleanest test from my side having some issues throughout so we didn’t really get to show our true pace again but at the same time we showed it this weekend. So I’m sure we can go to Red Bull Ring on the front foot for the first time this year which feels a little bit different to the rest of the year so go to Red Bull Ring with a lot of confidence in myself.”
Perhaps most importantly, the victory appears to have restored the self-belief that made Wharton one of the most highly rated drivers entering the season.
“I feel like I’m on the upward spiral now and out of my little rut that I was in, so I feel ready for Red Bull Ring.”
Wharton’s F3 Barcelona round being the turning point in 2026
The Australian says he is beginning to feel more like the driver who enjoyed success in previous years and is rediscovering the confidence needed to challenge consistently at the front.
“I still feel like there’s a little bit to go but I definitely feel a lot more back to who I was previous years and I feel like I’m starting to understand that I have the ability to be at the front, I just need to execute.”
After months of frustration, Barcelona may prove to be the turning point in Wharton’s season. With a victory, valuable points and renewed confidence in both himself and PREMA Racing, the Australian heads to Spielberg hoping his breakthrough weekend is only the beginning.
