James Wharton concluded his 2026 FIA Formula 3 season with a podium finish in the Madrid sprint race, marking a significant improvement in his second full campaign with Prema Racing.
The Australian finished second in Saturday's sprint after starting from reverse-grid pole. The result was his second standout performance on Spanish soil this season, following his sole victory of the year in the Barcelona sprint race. Despite missing out on a win in Madrid, Wharton expressed satisfaction with his achievement.
"To be honest, this morning was a bit bittersweet because we were starting from pole in the first race here in Madrid, and to get that win would have been quite special," he said. "But at the same time, if you had asked me at the start of the weekend whether I would take a podium in the sprint race, I would have taken it."
Wharton added points with a 10th-place finish in the first feature race, surviving a seven-car incident. In Sunday's second feature race, he started 18th and finished 16th as overtaking proved difficult around the new Madrid circuit.
Overall, 2026 marked progress for Wharton. He scored points in eight races, doubling his scoring finishes from his rookie season. His 39-point tally improved on the 25 he accumulated in 2025, when he finished 18th in the championship. His strongest form came late in the season, scoring in four of the final six races.
"Overall it was quite the stalemate feature race today, but I can't thank the team enough for this season as a whole," Wharton said on Sunday. "It's not what we wanted but we kept our heads up and kept pushing through the hard times so I'd just like to thank all at Prema and everyone involved."
Wharton was joined on the sprint podium by Prema teammate Alex Powell, who finished third in only his third F3 race. The American joined the team at Monza in place of New Zealand's Louis Sharp and continued his rapid introduction by following Wharton home in Madrid before adding seventh in the first feature race.
Sunday's finale also settled the championship battle, with Ugo Ugochukwu making history for the United States. Tuukka Taponen controlled the second feature race from pole to take his maiden F3 victory, but Ugochukwu's second place was enough to secure the drivers' crown.
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