James Wharton has endured a stuttering start to his FIA F3 campaign with ART Grand Prix as he is yet to score a point.
The Australian driver took a slight step forward last time out in Monaco. He finished in 11th place in the Feature Race, on the fringes of the top 10 points-paying positions.
Wharton has lacked raw speed in qualifying, as he could only set a time quick enough for 20th on the grid in Monaco for the Feature Race.
Qualifying is a very difficult part of the FIA F3 weekend to master. The Pirelli tyres only offer their peak grip for a few laps.
Wharton needs to “use the tyre in the right way” in F3 qualifying
The Pirelli tyres in FIA F3 are notoriously difficult to grasp for drivers stepping up from regional championships such as GB3 or FRECA.
The rubber degrades very quickly in qualifying and requires a lot of management over a race distance to avoid running out of grip.
There is an extra emphasis on single-lap pace in Formula 3, as two points are available for the driver who delivers pole position.
Wharton had hoped to fight at the front in F3 and admitted that qualifying is a clear weakness. He explained extracting all the tyres grip quickly in qualifying is key.
He said via the FIA F3 website: “It’s more just getting the peak of the tyre, making sure that I use the tyre in the right way. I think that’s the biggest part about F3: you don’t have many laps in qualifying, so you need to put the lap together at the peak.“
Wharton took two victories at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in FRECA
Wharton is stepping up from FRECA, a championship in which he was very competitive last year. He battled for the title but finished a distant second behind eventual champion Rafael Câmara, who leads the FIA F3 standings.
He had moments of brilliance throughout the campaign, notably in Spain, where he secured two pole positions and two wins.
This should give him valuable confidence as he returns to Barcelona with FIA F3 after Wharton’s impressive showing in 2024.
It is very difficult to pass at the 4.657 km circuit, as a flurry of high-speed turns are coupled with just two meaningful straights, making qualifying vital.
Heading into Spain, Wharton is brimming with confidence after the double victory in FRECA: “For sure, going to a track like Barcelona, where I am coming off a double win and double pole, I can’t have enough confidence going to the track.
“I can’t wait to get there and put a good weekend there in qualifying and be able to show my race pace at the end. I feel like all year the race pace has been really good, but we just haven’t qualified where we need too.”
The final six rounds of the season may provide some better results for Wharton as he has driven at all the circuits previously.
He took two wins at Catalunya in FRECA while also winning at the Red Bull Ring. Wharton has also driven at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Hungaroring, and Monza with varying levels of success.
