Wharton wins, Sharp scores as Prema shows Barcelona progress

James Wharton gave Prema Racing its first Formula 3 victory since 2024 by winning the Barcelona sprint race, delivering the team's most encouraging weekend of a difficult 2026 season. Teammate Louis Sharp also broke his points duck with ninth in the same race, though both drivers found Sunday's feature event tougher amid midfield traffic and virtual safety car interruptions.

Why it matters:

Prema has endured an inconsistent, result-starved campaign that left both Wharton and Sharp outside the points until Barcelona, making this breakthrough vital for morale and proof the car can run at the front when track position allows. The win also ended Prema's lengthy F3 victory drought, offering tangible evidence that development efforts are finally moving in the right direction.

The details:

• Wharton qualified 11th, placing him second on the reverse-grid sprint lineup. He recovered from an early drop to pass Freddie Slater and pole-sitter Gerrard Xie, then controlled two safety car restarts to secure his second career F3 win and the fastest lap.
• Sharp started 16th and climbed to ninth in the sprint, finally opening his points account, but slipped to 19th in the feature race after a difficult virtual safety car restart forced extra tyre wear while battling in the pack.
• Wharton spent much of Sunday locked in a tight midfield group around the points cutoff, finishing 12th after multiple VSC periods disrupted race rhythm and made tyre management critical.
• Third driver Jose Garfias was also mired in traffic, finishing 21st in the feature race as overtaking proved difficult throughout the field.

What's next:

Prema now heads to the Red Bull Ring with renewed confidence, with Sharp particularly optimistic after strong pre-event testing in Austria. Wharton stressed that although the team has proven it can win from the front on Saturdays, unlocking consistent feature-race pace remains the immediate priority if Prema is to turn this momentum into a sustained climb up the standings.