Potential confirmed by two podiums in Misano

More than ever, in his second year in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, James Wharton is determined to win and achieve the goals he has set himself. But sometimes circumstances are more difficult. It’s all about collecting points in the overall standings and aiming for the podium when victory is out of reach. At Misano, the young Australian driver supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy added 2nd and 3rd places to his tally. With the Prema Racing team, James wants to stay in the title race…

From 4th to 7th May, the Misano Racing Weekend hosted various motor racing disciplines, including the highly competitive FIA-certified Italian F4 Championship, which brings together the world’s leading hopefuls who have entered at the age of 15 and are eager to climb the ladder to the higher categories. James Wharton was at the forefront of the 2023 season opener at Imola and immediately put himself on the map on his arrival at the Italian circuit, finishing in the top three in all Free Practice sessions.

He even climbed to the top of the hierarchy during the final session on Friday before official Qualifying. This one was going to be extremely tight. With a time of 1:34.955 at an average speed of over 160 km/h, James was only 85 hundredths off pole position. “My times improved as the session went on and I was still hoping to make it on my last lap, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case,” said the Motorsport Australia representative.

Fighting spirit rewarded

Race 1, held midday on Saturday, proved to be very clear with a 3rd place start and finish. Race 2 could have followed a similar pattern, but James’ fighting spirit enabled him to gain a place and take 2nd place on the podium. “With my main rivals in the Italian Championship we are really close in terms of performance. The Misano circuit is not very conducive to overtaking, so I could only stay in my place in Race 1 despite some attempts to move up in the standings. In the second race I managed to overtake a competitor on the outside to move up from 3rd to 2nd place.”

Alas, James Wharton would fall victim to contact with another competitor in Race 3, forcing him to go off-track and demote him to the back of the field! “It’s a pity, I had made a good start from 6th on the grid (defined by the best of the second fastest laps done in one of the two Qualifying sessions). I stayed P4 for a long time, before this incident. I was struggling more with the car in this race, but I was nevertheless hoping to score more points in the Championship, following on from the two podiums I had achieved in the two previous races.”

“There are a lot of positives to take away from this meeting in Misano, which was better than the one in Imola. Now I need to put it all together to get pole position in Qualifying, so I can aim for victory more easily in the races. I know I can do it. See you at the end of May in Belgium at Spa Francorchamps,” concluded the All Road Management driver.

James Wharton – Press release / Photo © PREMA

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