James Wharton believes PREMA Racing’s improving F3 form outweighed the disappointment of missing the podium in the 2026 Spielberg Sprint Race.
The Australian started from reverse-grid pole and remained inside the leading group throughout the 21-lap contest. However, a late mistake and a damaged right mirror contributed to him falling from second to fourth during the closing stages.
Although Wharton felt he left points on the table, he highlighted PREMA’s stronger pace and believes a saved set of fresh Hard tyres could help him recover during Sunday’s Feature Race.
Wharton sees progress despite missed 2026 Spielberg F3 Sprint Race podium
Wharton entered the Sprint Race with an opportunity to claim a second consecutive Spielberg podium after starting from pole. However, Ernesto Rivera eventually passed him for the lead before Pedro Clerot and Jin Nakamura moved ahead during the final laps. Wharton therefore crossed the line fourth and added seven points to his championship total.
The result continued a recent improvement for PREMA following a difficult opening to the season. Wharton also spent the early part of the campaign recovering from an injury sustained in Melbourne, but his results have strengthened since F3 returned to Europe.
“Overall, it was a good points haul for us as a team,” he explained to Formula 3. “At the end of the day, it’s not coming easy, so a top five this year, the end result is OK. But at the same time, there was more left on the table.
“A little mistake with one lap to go cost me P2, and then my right mirror was off the car, so I had to defend on the last lap not really knowing where the cars were, which is why I defended too much.
“So, little things didn’t quite go our way, but at the same time, in this sport, little mistakes cost a lot, and we experienced that today. We were fighting at the front, and I was P2 on Lap 20 of 21, so we need to take that away for tomorrow.”
Wharton’s late error proved especially costly because of the close battle behind him. Nevertheless, remaining in contention until the penultimate lap underlined the progress PREMA has made after its challenging start.
Fresh tyres could aid Feature Race recovery
Wharton and PREMA also approached the Sprint Race with Sunday in mind. The team chose not to use a fresh set of Hard-compound Pirelli tyres, preserving them for the longer Feature Race. That decision may give Wharton an advantage as tyre degradation becomes more influential over the extended distance.
However, he acknowledged that several rivals followed a similar strategy, which could reduce the size of any benefit.
“I didn’t use a new tyre today to save for Sunday, so hopefully that gives us a little bit of an edge to be able to come through and make up for today.
“I think there were only a couple of cars with new tyres today, so maybe not a big advantage like we expected, but at the same time, I feel like a longer race is going to be a little bit heavier in terms of deg, so we can hopefully come through, because I feel like the more laps we do, the better we get. Just today, we didn’t quite show that.”
The Red Bull Ring’s short layout and long straights can create sustained DRS battles, while tyre management often becomes more important during the Feature Race. Wharton hopes PREMA’s long-run pace will allow him to move forward as the contest develops.
Wharton accepts cost of late mistakes in 2026 Spielberg F3 Sprint
Although Wharton felt disappointed after losing a podium, he placed the result within the wider context of his season. A fourth-place Sprint Race finish still represented a useful points return during a weekend in which he felt he had not performed at his strongest. Furthermore, the smaller Sprint Race points scale limited the championship damage caused by dropping two positions.
“I feel like Sprint Races – if you lose two spots, it’s only two points, so it’s a little bit better than a Feature Race. If we’re finishing P4 for the rest of the year in every Sprint, we’re going to be quite happy.
“I just need to take those points, and then tomorrow hopefully get a bit more. I could have done a better job overall today, and I feel like this whole weekend I’ve been a little bit on the back foot.
“Maybe the result is not showing. Starting at the front, let’s say it covers a lot of the mistakes, but at the same time, this weekend hasn’t been my strongest, and if my lesser weekends end with a P4 in a Sprint, I have to be quite happy with that.
“We need to take that into tomorrow and hopefully get some more points and then move to Silverstone and have a bit of a better Qualifying.”
Wharton’s comments reflected both frustration and perspective. He recognised that pole position created a stronger result than his underlying weekend might have suggested, but he also viewed fourth as evidence that PREMA can now contend near the front.
PREMA targets another step forward
Wharton will now aim to add further points in the Spielberg Feature Race before F3 moves to Silverstone for Round 5. PREMA’s recent improvement has given the Australian greater confidence following a difficult opening phase of the campaign. However, he knows the team must improve its Qualifying execution to create more regular opportunities at the front.
The saved tyres and longer race distance could help Wharton recover on Sunday. After leading the Sprint Race and remaining second until Lap 20, he believes PREMA has the pace to turn its progress into stronger results.
