The Silverstone Circuit is a cornerstone of motorsport history, combining slow-speed technical sections with high-speed sequences like the world-famous Maggots and Becketts. Its unique flow tests not only the limits of car setup but also the bravery and precision of every driver.
In Free Practice, James set his best lap early: a 1:46.594 after just ten minutes on track. That effort initially placed him sixth and eventually settled at P16 as the track got quicker, still only 0.747 seconds off the top. The remainder of the session was less productive, with multiple runs interrupted by trips to the pit lane. Despite the lack of further improvements, the early pace showed potential heading into Qualifying.
The Qualifying session started on a positive note, with Wharton posting P15 on his first push lap and improving to P8 on the second. Unfortunately, a clear opportunity to break into the top five was lost during the third run. The raw speed was there, but traffic once again worked against him, placing James in a disappointing P20 on the starting grid.
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Saturday’s Sprint Race was marked by early incidents and a long period of neutralised running. On the opening lap, contact between Badoer and Tsolov at The Loop brought out the VSC, soon followed by a full Safety Car. James found himself in P19 at the end of lap 1 but gradually moved up, passing Voisin and later Sharp to climb to P17 by lap 9. From that point on, the race settled, with Wharton holding his position to the chequered flag.
Sunday delivered a far more dynamic race. Starting P20, Wharton made an exceptional getaway as the rain began to fall, climbing to P8 within a handful of laps. He remained in close pursuit of Ho and Inthraphuvasak, eventually passing the latter for P7 by lap 6. As the rain increased, several drivers on slicks were forced to pit for wets, while James’ tyre choice proved to be the right one, allowing him to stay out.
By lap 11, with conditions worsening, the Safety Car was called once again. Wharton was classified P7 at that time. A Red Flag was shown on lap 15 due to poor visibility, and although a restart was initially planned, the race was ultimately not resumed. Final classification saw James in P6, thanks to a five-second penalty added to Van Hoepen’s time, with partial points awarded due to the shortened distance.
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“A weekend that could’ve gone better. But considering how it started, we can’t complain. Saturday’s race was tough, with little degradation and strong DRS trains making overtakes nearly impossible. But in the Feature Race, we finally showed what we’re capable of: P20 to P6 in 12 laps on wets. Massive thanks to the team for trusting the wet-tyres call. Now eyes on Spa, where we’ll aim to qualify where we deserve,” James Wharton said.
With six points scored in the Feature Race, Wharton now has 19 to his name in the FIA Formula 3 standings. The next challenge awaits at Spa-Francorchamps, from 25 to 27 July, where the high-speed corners and unpredictable weather of the Ardennes may offer another opportunity to shine.