Barcelona hosted the third and final leg of a tough triple-header for the F3 drivers. Free Practice saw James Wharton getting back into rhythm on a circuit he is familiar with. Despite the track being dusty and offering low grip in the early stages, the Australian driver closed the session in P12, clocking a 1:29.934 on used tyres—demonstrating competitive pace.
Qualifying began positively for the ART Grand Prix driver. After the initial warm-up laps, Wharton posted a 1:29.646 during the first stint, placing himself temporarily in third position. In the second run, he improved by three tenths but ultimately had to settle for P13, as the field tightened up in the final moments of the session.
© 2025 Dutch Photo Agency
In the Sprint Race, James made an outstanding start, jumping from P13 to P6 within the opening corners while avoiding several first-lap incidents. A Safety Car was deployed until lap six. Wharton then lost a position to Theophile Nael. Struggling slightly for race pace in the latter stages, James crossed the line in P8 and gained his first points of the season.
Sunday’s Feature Race opened with a chaotic start, but Wharton held on to P12. A Safety Car was deployed early after a collision between Bilinski and Garfias, with the race resuming on lap seven. Battling just outside the points, Wharton found himself in a thrilling three-wide move at Turn 1 alongside Inthraphuvasak and Voisin. The Campos driver came out ahead in P11, with Wharton holding P12.
Another race neutralization was called after contact between Lacorte and Badoer in the final laps. On the last lap, James managed to overtake Inthraphuvasak for P11, and with a post-race penalty handed to Mari Boya, he was provisionally classified in the points in P10. However, due to a five-second time penalty for track limits, he dropped down to P16.
© 2025 Dutch Photo Agency
“This weekend has been a huge step forward. We’ve had the best qualifying of the year so far. I’m happy to finally have some pace back. In the races, we struggled a little bit, but I couldn’t be happier to finally score some points, fight at the front, and be back where we should be. I can’t thank the team enough for the hard work over these three weeks, and I’m also grateful to my sponsors and fans who stuck with me. We’re making big steps forward, but of course, it’s just the beginning. We’ve had a tough start, but we’re slowly getting there—step by step”, James Wharton said.
After a huge European triple header, the next round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship will be in Austria, at the Red Bull Ring, from June 27 to 29. Last year at Spielberg, James Wharton claimed victory in Race 1 of the Formula Regional European Championship and now aims to confirm his good feeling with the Austrian track.
