Used by Formula 1 for several years and not always easy to get to grips with because of its specific characteristics, James Wharton had perfectly assimilated the long 5.8km circuit at Paul Ricard. At Le Castellet, the Australian set some excellent times right from the start of Free Practice. In the first Qualifying session on Saturday morning, James finished 3rd out of a total of 37 cars entered. "On my fastest lap, the time recorded in the second sector was not as good as the one I set on the two previous laps," regretted James. "That probably cost me pole position. In Race 1, I got off to a good start and was very close to moving up to 2nd, but I also had to defend my position against my team-mate behind me. After that, several of us were driving at a similar pace. I ended up holding on to 3rd place without being able to move up the order. From then on, I concentrated on managing the wear and tear on my tyres."

The Motorsport Australia-backed driver had once again demonstrated his speed in the second session. He set two excellent times in a row and held pole position for a few minutes, before being forced to give it up by a tiny margin of... 6 thousandths. What a disappointment! But what followed in Race 2 was even more frustrating. Known for always being quick off the mark when the lights went out, James made a small mistake and completely missed his start. Initially relegated beyond 20th position, he chose to retire a little later to save his tyres, as he had lost all chance of scoring points.

In the afternoon, the heat was still very much in evidence on the Paul Ricard circuit. James Wharton was on pole position for Race 3, having set the fastest second lap in Qualifying. From the very first lap, he engaged in a superb duel with his main rival of the meeting. After an exchange of positions, he completed the first lap in the lead and quickly extended his lead. A few laps later, the field regrouped due to an incident which resulted in the safety car coming out. "I managed the restart well and was once again in perfect control of the race when an injection problem caused me to lose power just a few corners from the finish. I couldn't stop the driver chasing me from overtaking me and I saved 2nd place at the last minute. I was clearly unlucky, but this type of problem is also part of motor sport. You have to accept it and come back even stronger in the following races."

"I certainly finished on the podium twice by finishing 3rd and 2nd during the weekend, but I also lost a good opportunity to further reduce the gap with the drivers positioned ahead of me in the provisional Championship standings," admitted the All Road Management driver. "There are still two races left, at Mugello from 29th September to 1st October and then at Vallelunga from 13th to 15th October, and I'm going to do everything I can to get the best possible result and finish the Championship on a high."

In the meantime, James Wharton will be able to fine-tune his physical condition and spend a few days in Australia with his family.

About James Wharton

James Wharton is a 16-year-old Australian racing driver, who is competing in his second international Formula 4 season in 2023. Currently supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy, All Road Management and Motorsport Australia, James began karting in his native country at the age of seven. He has gone on to shine in some of the world's top single-make challenges.

A two-time winner of the prestigious SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas in Junior, he was involved in FIA Karting competitions from 2018 to 2021, where he has learnt a lot from great teams like RFM and Parolin Motorsport. Numerous podiums have been achieved, culminating in a brilliant 5th position in the KZ2 International Super Cup, a de facto World Cup for the category.

Winner in his second F4 meeting in Dubai, James Wharton finished 5th in the UAE Championship with a total of four wins, three pole positions and four fastest laps. During the 2022 season, the Australian followed up with two more 5th places in the Italian and German F4 Championships, with impressive consistency: 20 top five finishes including eight podiums.

At the beginning of 2023, the Australian won the UAE Formula 4 Championship brilliantly with the Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited team. His goal is to take more victories this season in the Italian F4 Championship with the Prema Racing team.