The Hungaroring, located just outside Budapest, is one of the most technical and demanding circuits on the Formula 3 calendar. Known for its tight and twisty layout, often compared to the Monaco Circuit (but without walls), the track leaves little margin for error. With very limited overtaking opportunities due to the lack of long straights, gaining positions requires precision, confidence, and racecraft.
James Wharton’s weekend began with a constructive Free Practice session on Friday, where the Australian finished in P18 while focusing on building confidence and finding the right balance with the car. Later in the day, he delivered a solid performance in Qualifying, securing P15 and putting himself in a position to fight for points across both races.
In Saturday’s Sprint Race, Wharton made the most of the few overtaking opportunities available, showcasing strong racecraft to move forward through the field and finish in P8, securing valuable points for the championship.
The positive momentum continued into Sunday’s Feature Race, where overtaking is traditionally even more challenging. Despite this, Wharton delivered an impressive drive, pulling off a decisive double overtake to gain two positions in a single move, a standout moment in a race where passing is notoriously difficult. He crossed the line in P9, later promoted to P8 following a penalty for a driver ahead, sealing his second points finish of the weekend.
Overall, it was a consistent and encouraging performance for Wharton, who demonstrated not only solid pace but also the ability to make the difference in race conditions where opportunities are extremely limited.
«It was quite a strong weekend, especially considering how tough qualifying was,” said Wharton. “We really maximised what we had in the races, even if we’re still not quite where we want to be. There’s definitely work to do on Fridays, but this has probably been our cleanest and most complete weekend of the 2026 season so far. I’ll take the positives from the two points finishes and keep building from here. Now we have the summer break, which will be a good chance to reset and come back stronger for Monza and Madrid», James Wharton said.
Following the Hungarian round, Wharton will now head into the summer break before returning to the track for the final leg of the championship.