Wharton Leads PREMA to First F3 Victory Since 2024

James Wharton won the Formula 3 Barcelona-Catalunya Sprint Race for PREMA Racing. The F3 win gave the team its first victory since 2024 and lifted Wharton after what he described as a difficult season so far. Starting second on the grid, he passed pole-sitter Gerrard Xie early and stayed ahead through two Safety Car restarts.

Freddie Slater finished second for Trident after pressuring Wharton for much of the race, and Xie took third for DAMS Lucas Oil after a late attempt to move into second fell short. Tuukka Taponen was fourth. Enzo Deligny led the Van Amersfoort Racing group, followed by Bruno del Pino and Yamakoshi, while Théophile Nael, Louis Sharp and Noah Stromsted completed the top 10. Ugo Ugochukwu, Ernesto Rivera and Mattia Colnaghi did not finish, and Tiato Kato stalled from fourth on the grid before being forced to start from the pit lane. After the race, Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater were tied atop the Drivers’ Championship on 43 points.