James Wharton made his debut in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany, showcasing strong performances throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, the Australian driver posted the third fastest time in Group A, coming within a few tenths of teammate Camara, who secured pole position. In Race 1, Wharton was immediately competitive and finished second on track. However, a post-race penalty dropped him to third place, still allowing James to secure a podium finish in his FRECA debut race.
Sunday proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions for Wharton. After securing a convincing pole position for Race 2 at only his second qualifying session in the championship, James was sadly forced to retire due to a mistake in Turn 6.
“It was a solid first weekend. We had a strong race pace in Race 1 too. We just need to tidy up a few things and aim to put together a consistent performance in Spa, building on the improvements we've made during testing. I'm feeling confident heading into Spa.”
After the first weekend of the Formula Regional European Championship, Wharton currently sits in sixth position overall, with 16 points in the Drivers Standings. The next event will take place from May 24th-26th at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, where Wharton has previously won two out of three races in the 2023 Formula 4 Italian Championship.