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Wharton gets F3 chance

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: July 4, 2024

There will be a three-pronged Aussie assault on the FIA Formula 3 Championship at Silverstone this weekend with James Wharton making his debut.

Wharton, 17, will deputise for the suspended Hitech driver Martinius Stenshorne for the seventh round of the 2024 season.

Stenshorne was suspended due to breaching Article 10.4 of the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Sporting Regulations, having taken part in another Championship without prior approval from the Promoter or the FIA in writing.

The boy from Bundoora joins Christian Mansell and Tommy Smith, who sit fifth and 25th in the championship respectively.

Wharton is no stranger to success and in recent years has been forging a reputation in the European single seater pathway.

After winning the 2017 Australian Karting Championship he moved to Europe and took part in a number of championships, highlighted by winning two SKUSA SuperNationals titles.

In 2022 he stepped up to Formula 4 where he finished fifth in all three of the UAE, Italian and German championships.

Wharton rose to a new level in 2023, winning the UAE F4 title with four wins, while was also the runner-up in the Euro 4 Championship.

This year he has been racing in the Formula Regional Middle East and European Championships and currently sits sixth in both series with two podiums in each.

Wharton could not hide his excitement ahead of his F3 debut at the home of the first Formula 1 Grand Prix.

“I can’t thank Hitech Grand Prix enough for the opportunity and for trusting me to take the wheel this weekend at Silverstone,’ said Wharton.  

“This is the biggest opportunity I’ve had in my career so far. It’s going to be a challenging weekend, but I can’t wait to show what I can do.”

Hitech’s Formula 3 Team Manager Paul Bellringer revealed Wharton has already spent lots of time in the simulator preparing for this weekend.

“We’re looking forward to having James in the car for this weekend and have been busy preparing him in the simulator,” he said. 

“It will be a challenging and exciting Formula 3 debut for him in equal measure.”

F3 supports the F1 at Silverstone with qualifying being broadcast at 23.10 AEST on Friday night, while the Sprint race will be shown at 18.15 AEST Saturday night and the Feature from 17.15 AEST Sunday night on Fox Sports.

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