PREMA Racing’s James Wharton described his second-place finish in the 2026 Madrid F3 Sprint Race as “bittersweet” after missing the opportunity to become the first Formula 3 race winner at the Madring.
Wharton started from pole position but lost the lead to Campos Racing’s Théophile Naël and eventually crossed the line second, securing his second podium of the 2026 season. Speaking in the post-Sprint press conference, the Australian reflected on the missed opportunity, the difficulty of racing at a new circuit without previous data and what he learned ahead of the remaining two races.
Although victory escaped him, Wharton viewed the podium as an important result during a difficult season for both himself and PREMA Racing. He also believes the Sprint provided useful information as he prepares to start Feature Race 1 from 12th.
Wharton admits second place from pole felt “bittersweet”
Wharton entered the Sprint with the opportunity to make history as the first F3 race winner at the Madring. However, his start immediately put him under pressure and allowed Naël to move into the lead.
During the post-Sprint press conference, Wharton admitted that missing the victory was disappointing. Nevertheless, he stressed the importance of recognising the positives after a season that has not produced the results he or PREMA Racing expected.
“Yeah, to be honest, a bit bittersweet because we’re starting from pole. And the first race here at the Madring, and to get that win would have been quite special. But, at the same time, if you asked me to get a podium at the start of the weekend in a Sprint Race, I would have taken it.
“So, I need to be happy with, let’s say, the work we’re doing. At the end of the day, it hasn’t been the season that we’ve hoped for as a team or I’ve hoped for as a driver. It’s hard seeing the people that you’ve competed against your whole life doing well and fighting the Championship.
“So, getting these podiums when they come is very important. And, at the end of the day, apart from the start, which wasn’t amazing, still wasn’t super bad, but wasn’t amazing, which put me on the back foot. But when you come second on a track like this, no mistakes after the start, I have to be happy with that. And you just have to take those positives when there’s a tough season.”
Wharton therefore left the Sprint with mixed emotions. While he wanted to convert pole into victory, he recognised that a clean drive to second still represented a valuable result at the end of a challenging campaign.
Wharton tries to recover the lead at Turn 5
Wharton did not immediately settle for second after losing the lead. Instead, he looked for an opportunity to fight back at Turn 5, which had emerged as one of the most likely overtaking areas around the new circuit.
However, nobody entered the race with previous F3 competition data from the Madring, meaning drivers were effectively discovering the limitations of wheel-to-wheel racing around the circuit in real time. Wharton attempted the move but could not complete it.
“Yeah, to be honest, probably would have been the first overtake at the Madring ever if I did that. Didn’t quite pay off. And it’s obviously not easy when you’re the first person to arrive there on the first lap.
“But, at the same time, I feel like the races are getting more and more chaotic as the season starts to come to an end. And people are really trying to do the best they can. Starting from P12 in the Feature Race this afternoon is the next chance to get some points. So, I’ll be the one trying to make some moves.”
His focus therefore quickly shifted towards Feature Race 1. Starting from 12th places Wharton in a very different situation, where he will need to attack rather than defend track position from the front.
Lack of Madring race data complicates Wharton’s Sprint
The first F3 race at the Madring also presented teams with a challenge they rarely encounter during an established championship weekend. Without previous races to study, they entered the Sprint without historical information showing how tyre degradation, overtaking and race pace would develop.
Wharton explained in the post-Sprint press conference that PREMA expected tyre degradation to play a larger role. That assumption influenced how aggressively he approached the opening stages, although the race ultimately developed differently from their expectations.
“Yeah, to be honest, I really wanted to get that first win around the track. It would have been something that I could have taken home from 2026. Didn’t quite get the job done.
“But we felt the tyre deg was going to be a big issue. We thought it would be something, but it wasn’t as clear as what we expected. So, maybe I could have pushed a little bit more at the start of the race.
“But the lack of knowledge was quite tough. And normally we go into a race really understanding what happened in the previous years. But today we didn’t have that. So, it was a bit learning on the race itself. And as you saw with Théo, he kept getting faster. So, at the same time, we had to take a podium today. And that’s all we could have done.”
Naël’s improving pace as the race progressed provided one of the first practical indicators of how the tyres behaved over a full racing stint. Wharton and PREMA can now use that information for the longer Feature Races.
Sprint lessons change Wharton’s approach to Feature Race 1
Although the Sprint produced useful data, Wharton expects Feature Race 1 to present an entirely different challenge. Moving from pole position to 12th on the grid means he will need to manage traffic, incidents and overtaking attempts from the middle of the pack.
The unusual Madrid schedule could also play a role. Drivers competed in the Sprint on Saturday morning before returning for Feature Race 1 later the same day, creating an additional physical and mental test.
“Yeah, it’s obviously going to be a very different race. Starting P12, starting P1 is a very different race. And if you ask any driver, starting in that part of the grid is always more difficult.
“You have to be a little bit more careful with the people around. But there are opportunities to be had, I feel, in this Feature Race at 6 p.m., when everyone’s been awake since 6 a.m. So, hopefully, everyone’s a little bit more tired and some more mistakes happen, which is what we can capitalise on today.”
Wharton therefore sees the Sprint data as useful rather than definitive. He expects the different starting position and longer race to create new challenges, but also believes opportunities will emerge as fatigue increases.
Inaugural Madring podium carries special meaning for Wharton after P2 in 2026 Madrid F3 Sprint
Despite missing victory, Wharton still became part of the first F3 podium at the Madring. During the post-Sprint press conference, Road to Sport Week’s Tiana Swords asked the top three drivers what that distinction meant and whether they expected to remember it later in their careers.
Wharton acknowledged that drivers rarely receive opportunities to compete in the first race at an entirely new venue. He also highlighted the significance of starting the inaugural Sprint from pole position.
“Yeah, as I said before, it’s something that is quite special. You don’t really get these opportunities very much. And at the moment, we’re getting more and more opportunities to do this.
“But, at the same time, having a new track and a track like this, to have the first podium, we have to be super grateful to get this opportunity. It doesn’t happen to many of us. And even for me, starting off pole position, being the first person on pole position, it was obviously something amazing and shows the level of F3 now.”
Wharton therefore leaves the Sprint with two notable milestones despite falling one position short of victory. He became the first F3 driver to start a race at the Madring from pole and formed part of the circuit’s inaugural podium.
Wharton prepared for demanding two-Feature-Race schedule after bittersweet 2026 F3 Sprint
Madrid’s revised weekend format gives the F3 field another challenge, with two Feature Races following the Saturday morning Sprint. Drivers therefore have little recovery time between races and must remain prepared for another demanding contest on Sunday.
Asked during the post-Sprint press conference how he had prepared physically and mentally for the schedule, Wharton said the training drivers complete throughout the season should allow them to handle the workload. However, he expects fatigue to become increasingly important as the weekend progresses.
“Yeah, a bit the same as Théo. We’ve done a lot of training up to this point, and it’s part of our job to be ready for these weekends and be able to maximise it. There’s definitely some people out there that are going to get tired this afternoon, and I feel like you can even hear by our voices right now that we’re all trying to save as much energy as possible for this afternoon and then the early one tomorrow morning.
“So, yeah, at the end of the day, it’s something that’s a part of our job. And if we want to be in Formula One, it’s something that we need to have on board. So, yeah, I feel like the three sitting here are probably the three that will be okay this afternoon. But, at the same time, there’s a lot of work to do.”
Wharton now carries both a podium and valuable race information into the remainder of the Madrid weekend. Although the Sprint win escaped him, his post-race reflections showed that he intends to use the lessons from the inaugural Madring race as he attempts to move forward from 12th in Feature Race 1.
