PREMA Racing have announced 19 year-old Australian James Wharton as their second signing for the 2026 F3 season. Following his participation in the post-season Jerez test with the team, Wharton recorded a best finish of 7th during Day 2’s morning session. After completing his rookie season with ART Grand Prix this year, the Australian returns to a team he knows well—one with which he has shared success with in previous years.
Challenging rookie year marked by flashes of strong pace
The year kicked off with Wharton’s home race in Melbourne. However, the weekend proved challenging as he retired from the Sprint Race and finished 21st in the Feature Race. As the season continued to unfold, he struggled in Qualifying, often starting further down the grid. While he’s qualified inside the top ten on several occasions, the Australian’s inconsistency throughout his rookie season made scoring points extremely difficult. But, a breakthrough moment for the 19 year-old came during at the Barcelona Sprint Race, where he earned his first F3 points with an 8th place finish.
The following weekend in Austria, Wharton delivered a stellar drive to secure his maiden F3 win during the Sprint Race. After starting on reverse grid pole, the Australian controlled the race from lights-to-flag, keeping Alessandro Giusti and Ugo Ugochukwu at bay to claim his spot on the top step of the podium. He then added two more points-scoring finishes to his tally—6th place finish in the Silverstone Feature Race and 5th in the Hungarian Sprint Race—rounding up his points scored for the season.
An “exciting” return to PREMA
Joining PREMA for his second F3 campaign in 2026, Wharton reunites with the team that helped him launch his career in single-seaters. Since his debut in 2022, the Australian has raced with the Italian outfit across his yearly full-time campaigns before moving to ART Grand Prix this year. During his time with PREMA, Wharton has enjoyed considerable success with the team in the past, finishing 2nd in both the 2023 Euro 4 Championship and the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA).
Excited about his return to the team, Wharton described rejoining PREMA as like coming back to a “second home”. Reflecting on his move, the Australian expressed his enthusiasm and optimism for the 2026 season: “Super excited to be back at my second home for the 2026 season,”
“Going into testing is about getting comfortable with the car and back with the team, and to make full preparations to enter 2026 on the right foot and be able to start strong at home in Melbourne. I missed PREMA a lot. The family I have there is amazing, and everyone in the team is just exceptional people.”
Welcoming Wharton back, PREMA Racing Team Principal René Rosin shared his enthusiasm about having the 19-year-old rejoin the team for the 2026 season.
“We are extremely happy to welcome James back to PREMA, we really enjoyed working with him since his very first steps in motorsport. We are proud of his journey, and we truly believe in his potential. To have him on board for 2026 makes great sense, and we are looking forward to seeing what the season has in store for us.”
