Photo: Dutch Photo Agency
James Wharton will reunite with Prema in the FIA Formula 3 Championship next year for his sophomore season.
The 19-year-old spent his rookie campaign with ART Grand Prix, and came 18th in the standings with one victory. He had done one FIA F3 round in 2024 before that, which he contested with Hitech GP.
Wharton’s first two years in car racing were spent exclusively with Prema, then last year his main programmes were with the team but he also made two GB3 outings with Fortec Motorsports, contested the Macau GP with ART GP and debuted in F3.
“Super excited to be back at my second home for the 2026 season,” said the Australian.
“Going into testing is about getting comfortable with the car and back with the team, and to make full preparations to enter 2026 on the right foot and be able to start strong at home in Melbourne. I missed Prema a lot. The family I have there is amazing, and everyone in the team is just exceptional people.”
During his two years in Formula 4, Wharton won the United Arab Emirates title, was E4 runner-up and fourth in Italian F4.
In 2024 he came sixth in Formula Regional Middle East then was FRegional European Championship runner-up with four victories, six other podiums and five poles. Prema entered as ‘Mumbai Falcons’ in the Middle Eastern series.
“We are extremely happy to welcome James back to Prema,” commented team principal Rene Rosin.
“We really enjoyed working with him since his very first steps in motorsport. We are proud of his journey, and we truly believe in his potential. To have him on board for 2026 makes great sense, and we are looking forward to seeing what the season has in store for us.”