After gaining valuable mileage in Formula 2 and heading into his second FIA Formula 3 campaign, James Wharton believes F3 in 2026 could be the toughest season yet, but one he feels more prepared than ever for with PREMA Racing.
With a strengthened grid, a return to familiar surroundings, and a clear focus on consistency, the Australian is entering the new year with confidence and realism.
Speaking during an F3 conference with Pit Debrief in attendance, the Australian is confident on heading into his second season, but highlighted there is no single benchmark.
“Yeah, for sure. Coming into the second season, I’ve got a lot of experience, as you said, driving in F2 as well. Gave me a lot of, like, confidence going into 2026, but I feel like the competition this year is probably the strongest over the last couple of seasons.”
Biggest rivals this season for Wharton
For Wharton, it is not about identifying one rival to beat. Instead, it is the depth of the field that stands out.
“There’s a lot of drivers and for me, the top 10 is super strong and it’s going to be one of the, I think, toughest seasons to be consistent and for me, this year there’s not one main competition. I feel like every team has a couple of fast drivers and every team is strong. So, as we saw in testing, every team has made a step forward.”
With Melbourne opening the season on a street circuit, the challenge will begin immediately, and qualifying could prove decisive from the outset.
“So, I feel like qualifying is going to be insane, especially in Melbourne. Our first race is going to be quite tough to put the lap together on a street circuit, but at the end of the day, I feel like this year is going to be super tough.”
Focused on consistency over the 10 Rounds in Formula 3
If there is one word that defines Wharton’s mindset heading into his second campaign, it is consistency.
After a 2025 season that did not fully deliver for him or his teammate Louis Sharp, the focus now is on refinement rather than reinvention.
“At the end of the day, we’ve both not had the 2025 that we wanted, but we’re both in a position to be able to perform in 2026 with Prema Racing, and I feel like we have a good support system around us. So, yeah, I can’t wait for this season.”
There are no bold championship declarations, just a clear internal benchmark on consistency across the 10 rounds.
“And, to be honest, an expectation is just improving on last year and making sure there’s no stone unturned and make sure we’re doing our best every weekend. Being consistent is the main priority for me. So, if I can finish the season being consistent over the 10 rounds, I am happy and the result will be there at the end.”
“Coming back home” to PREMA
When asked by Pit Debrief about his focus over the winter break with his “new” team, the Australian instead described the move as something far more familiar, a return home.
Despite lining up with PREMA for the 2026 F3 season, the Italian outfit is anything but new territory for Wharton, who has spent much of his junior career within its structure.
“Yeah, I feel like it is a new F3 team for me but it’s a very well-known team from my previous years in Formula Racing. I’ve spent more time in Prema than any other team. So, for me, it’s about coming back home and I feel super comfortable any time I arrive in the factory.”
Prior to his 2025 campaign, Wharton had worked with the same race engineer for much of his career with PREMA. Although he doesn’t have the same engineer in 2026, he feels right at home back with PREMA.
“For me, it’s been quite easy to get back in the rhythm and get around the right people, the people that I’ve known since my first day in Formula 4. It’s a lot easier than, say, Louis or Jose, but I’m sure that Prema can make them feel at home very quickly. So, yeah, I can’t wait to get to Melbourne now.”
The Qualifying factor
If there is one defining lesson Wharton is carrying into his second season, it is the importance of Saturday performance. He emphasised just how narrow the margins are in the category.
“Yeah, F3 is about qualifying. It’s so important to be up the front. If you’re not inside the top 12, in qualifying, your weekend is a lot tougher. So, yeah, I feel like F3, you don’t need to do a hundred percent perfect lap.”
Instead, it is about extracting exactly what is available, no more, no less.
“It’s about putting it together every weekend and about, as Louis said, just delivering on a daily basis. And if you’ve put the car inside the top 12 every weekend, you’re going to be in a really good spot in the championship. So, for us, it’s about being controlled and not trying to do too much in qualifying.”
“If the car is good enough to be P10, you have to put the car P10. If it’s good enough to be on pole, that’s what you have to do. So, it’s a lot tougher than other categories where you feel like you have a lot more margin for error in F3 you don’t at all.”
“So, definitely, it’s a lot more difficult to be consistent, but that’s why it’s so important to be consistent.”
The atmosphere at PREMA in 2026
Despite external noise surrounding PREMA’s financial position, Wharton insists the atmosphere internally has not shifted.
“Yeah, I feel like in media, it’s very easy to get a lot of rumours and everything gets blown out of proportion. As a driver, and I’m sure Louis and Jose can back me up on this, the environment’s amazing. I don’t feel like there’s been a lot changed within our group of people and the engineering department and the technical department hasn’t changed at all for us.”
From Wharton’s perspective, the focus remains firmly on performance at PREMA for his 2026 F3 season.
“From a, let’s say, mood point of view and an atmosphere point of view, I feel like nothing has changed for us and I feel just as good as what I did six months ago. So, yeah, I’m happy to be there and we’re fully supporting the team. And at the end of the day, if we’re winning, the team’s going to look better. So that’s our job.”
