James Anthony Wharton (born 8 July 2006) is an
Australian racing driver who currently competes in the
2024 Formula Regional European Championship for
Prema Racing. He was a race winner in
Italian F4, finishing fourth in
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
. He was a member of the
Ferrari Driver Academy between 2021 and 2023.
Career
Karting
Born in
Bundoora
Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea local government areas. Bundoora recorded a population of 28,068 at the ...
in 2006, Wharton began karting at the age of eight in his homeland of Australia. Following two years in Mini and Cadet karting he won eight out of ten races in his 2017 season, winning the Australian Championship in the process. Following that him and his father moved to Europe to progress his career, where he spent four years contracted to Parolin, competing in various continental championships.
Formula 4
2022
Starting his single-seater at the beginning of 2022, Wharton would compete in the
Formula 4 UAE Championship
Starting in the 2016–17 season, the all new Formula 4 UAE Championship was launched by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, and its national affiliate the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), who acted as t ...
with Abu Dhabi Racing, a team operated by
Prema Racing.
The Australian dominated the first
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
event, scoring three victories, and won the season-ending race at
Yas Marina
Yas Island ( ar, جزيرة ياس) is an island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It occupies a total land area of . It is a popular leisure island and one of the top tourism projects in Abu Dhabi. Yas Island holds the Yas Marina Circuit, w ...
, taking home fifth in the standings.
He remained with Prema for the European racing season, driving in the
Italian F4 and
ADAC F4 championships.
Just like during the winter, Wharton ended up fifth in both series, having obtained his only victory at the
Nürburgring
The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...
.
2023
Wharton once again partook in
F4 UAE at the beginning of 2023, being part of the
Mumbai Falcons.
After a consistent campaign, which included four wins and a total of eleven podiums across 15 races, the Australian clinched the title as a result of a last-round collision with title rival and teammate Tuukka Taponen.
His European campaign with Prema in the
Italian F4 Championship
Italian Formula 4 Championship is the first formula racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, effectively replacing the Formula Abarth.
History
Gerhard Berger and th ...
proved to be more challenging, as Wharton would end the year fourth in the standings despite a pair of wins at
Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...
. He also ended up finishing second in the three-round
Euro 4 Championship with two wins and three further podiums, missing out on the title to teammate
Ugo Ugochukwu.
Formula Regional
In the 2024 pre-season, Wharton partook in the
Formula Regional Middle East Championship
The Formula Regional Middle East Championship is an FIA-certified Formula Regional racing series, which will start in 2023. This championship will race in the Emirati venues from the 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship and Kuwait Motor Town. ...
with
Mumbai Falcons.
For his main campaign, Wharton moved up to the
Formula Regional European Championship, once again driving for
Prema Racing, alongside former Italian F4 rivals
Rafael Câmara and
Ugo Ugochukwu.
GB3 Championship
Wharton was signed by
Fortec Motorsports
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton.
Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Gianmaria Bruni, Danny Watts, Jamie Green, Jame ...
to participate in the two
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...
rounds of the
2024 GB3 Championship.
FIA Formula 3 Championship
After
Martinius Stenshorne was banned from the
Silverstone round, Wharton was drafted by
Hitech Pulse-Eight to make a one-off appearance there in the
2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Formula One
At the end of 2020 Wharton was chosen by
Motorsport Australia to be one of its representatives for the FDA 2020 Scouting World Finals. He ended up winning the shootout, therefore gaining a place in the
Ferrari Driver Academy.
In December 2023, it was announced that Wharton would be leaving the FDA going into the 2024 season.
Karting record
Karting career summary
Complete CIK-FIA Karting European Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Racing record
Racing career summary
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Italian F4 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Euro 4 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula Regional European Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
Complete GB3 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wharton, James
2006 births
Living people
Italian F4 Championship drivers
ADAC Formula 4 drivers
Prema Powerteam drivers
People from Bundoora, Victoria
Racing drivers from Melbourne
Racing drivers from Victoria (state)
Karting World Championship drivers
UAE F4 Championship drivers
Formula Regional European Championship drivers
Mumbai Falcons drivers
Formula Regional Middle East Championship drivers
Fortec Motorsport drivers
FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers
Hitech Grand Prix drivers