James Wharton will make his return to PREMA Racing for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship season, the team is happy to announce. The 19-year-old Australian, who is readying for his second year in the series, comes back to the team after first joining it for his single-seater debut in 2022.
Wharton achieved eleven wins in his Formula 4 tenure with PREMA and captured the Formula 4 UAE Championship in 2023, when he also became the Euro4 Championship runner-up.
In the following year, he stayed with the team and made the step to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, ending up second in points and securing four wins as the best rookie. For 2025, he stepped up to FIA F3 and is now looking forward to a successful sophomore year in 2026.
Wharton has already joined the team for postseason testing at Jerez, and will continue his preparations at Barcelona and Imola.
RENE ROSIN - TEAM PRINCIPAL
"We are extremely happy to welcome James back to PREMA. 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.”
JAMES WHARTON
“Super excited to be back at my second home for the 2026 season. 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.”