With its long main straight, high-speed sweeping corners and unforgiving track-limits, the Lusail International Circuit is far from an easy venue for a debut. Yet, despite the typical hurdles faced by a rookie, Wharton showed promising and convincing flashes that bode well for a potential full Formula 2 campaign in the future.
Entering the event for Trident Motorsport, from the moment he hit the track in Friday’s sole Free Practice session, Wharton immediately looked at ease behind the wheel of the Dallara F2 2024. On his first-ever push lap, he clocked an impressive 1:41.124, temporarily securing sixth place and placing himself among the championship frontrunners. A wild run in the final stages of his second attempt prevented any further improvements, ending the session 21st, still only a few tenths off the fastest time.
A lot of precious track time was lost in qualifying, as an engine issue meant the Australian could only head out with eight minutes remaining. With virtually no time to build confidence on a dusty surface, he had to settle for P21 on the grid for his Formula 2 debut.
© 2025 Dutch Photo Agency
Saturday’s Sprint Race began with a clean launch, with Wharton holding position. However, his race ended prematurely after a Turn 1 collision triggered by his teammate losing control while defending.
In Sunday’s Feature Race, Wharton again made a strong start, climbing from P21 to P18 within the opening laps. His first-ever pit stop proved costly, as a tyre issue added several seconds and dropped him back to P21 upon rejoining. A 5-second penalty for pit-lane speeding, followed by a 10-second penalty for contact with Crawford, further complicated matters. Despite all setbacks, he crossed the line in P17, later classified P19 once penalties were applied.
“Overall, it was an amazing weekend and a great feeling to finally make my Formula 2 debut,” Wharton said. “It was a huge opportunity to learn and grow for the future, even if the engine issue in qualifying, and qualifying itself, compromised the rest of the weekend. We had really strong pace in Free Practice, and we showed it again in the Feature Race despite another problem during the pit stop. Not the luckiest weekend, but I learned a lot. We showed good potential, and the speed was there throughout my first F2 appearance.”
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Looking ahead to 2026, he added: “Now the focus shifts back to F3, to return much stronger in 2026 and start the season on the right foot in Melbourne. Hopefully, we’ll have a bit more luck next year and can fight for more race wins. I just want to thank everyone for their support throughout 2025.”
With his one-off Formula 2 appearance complete, James Wharton officially closes his 2025 racing season.
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