James Wharton – P1 and P2 in Kuwait after great attacking races

James Wharton was particularly competitive at the beautiful Kuwait Motor Town circuit, which hosted the second round of the United Arab Emirates F4 Championship on 27th-28th January 2023. With a pole position, a fastest lap, a 2nd place and a victory, the Australian hopeful from the Ferrari Driver Academy drew a positive balance from this meeting, which allowed him to move up to P3 in the provisional Championship ranking.

James Wharton arrived in Kuwait with a strong desire to improve on his Dubai result, where he had two top-five finishes, including a podium. The Mumbai Falcons Racing driver immediately felt very comfortable in the Persian Gulf. “I really liked the circuit, both the track design and the modern infrastructure,” said James. “The people who created this facility have done a really good job. It’s a very fast track, so it’s important to find the right balance on the car by improving the aerodynamics to find speed on the long straights, while remaining efficient on the twisty part and not letting the car slide too much.”

Two podiums including a victory!

James Wharton was regularly at the forefront of the various collective tests and had a brilliant Qualifying session. “With the team, we worked in the right direction, I had a good feeling and I managed to finish P3 in the first session and P1 in the second. Very satisfying!” Always excellent at the start, the 16-year-old Australian made a superb manoeuvre shortly after the lights went out to take the lead in Race 1. After a magnificent clear run, he crossed the finish line with a substantial lead. “I was really happy to be able to win again in this Championship.”

Once again 3rd on the grid in Race 2, he maintained his position as he completed the first lap, quickly putting pressure on the two rivals in front of him. “We had a long safety car episode and there wasn’t much time left to fight for the win. I managed to overtake my team-mate, before attacking the leader and passing him. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake which allowed him to regain the lead.”

In Race 3, the Motorsport Australia-backed driver was unfortunately unable to take advantage of his pole position, following a collision shortly after the start. James started from around 20th position and climbed back up to 13th, but was unable to increase his points tally. “Overall, it was a positive meeting with a win, a 2nd place and a move up to 3rd overall. I was competitive and I hope to confirm this in a few days time for the third of the four events of this Championship where we will be racing on this same circuit in Kuwait.”

James Wharton – Press release / Photo © PREMA