F4 UAE champion last year, the 17-year-old Aussie driver was a consistent frontrunner in Italian F4 where he finished fourth, earning his promotion to the Formula Regional level. Feeder Series talked to James Wharton during his pre-season preparation.

By Perceval Wolff

Following the first official FRECA pre-season testing sessions, James Wharton was in Portugal at the moment of this interview – along with the other All Road Management drivers managed by the society founded by Nicolas Todt – for a training camp.

“We’re making sure we are fully ready for the start of the season in a couple of weeks at Hockenheim,” Wharton said. “Being part of this family is really great, you have support from other people, especially Gabriele [Minì] and Martinius [Stenshorne] who are in F3.

“That’s where I want to be next year, that’s what I’m aiming for. This training camp with all the other All Road Management drivers is really great, probably one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. We can all learn from one another, and we push ourselves to the top.”

Aiming higher in FRECA

Even though the FRECA season doesn’t begin until May, the first pre-season testing days were scheduled for the first week of April in Barcelona. 

“It’s been a very positive test from my side as well on the team’s side. There have been several little changes with the car, so we were focused on understanding how everything evolved compared to last year,” he explained.

“For my side, it’s been really good to get back in the car. We did the Middle East championship this winter, with different tyres, different engines, so it was good to come back with this package. Definitely, we took a good step forward. It’s only the first tests, and there is still a long way to go until the first race. We’re still doing fine-tuning.”

Placed sixth in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship this winter, Wharton was pleased with how his campaign went, steadily progressing throughout the five rounds between Dubai and Abu Dhabi despite being involved in a couple of racing incidents at the beginning.

“Being the new car a bit bigger, sometimes you have to adjust. The first couple of rounds were more about understanding how racing worked in this new category. Very, very different from F4, with less slipstream. Of course, it happens to make little mistakes here and there but for me, the biggest thing is how you bounce back on them. When you keep making the same mistakes, it becomes a problem. If you come back and do better, people forget.”

“I didn’t have any expectations going in, so finishing P6 was the best I could have done, I was happy with that. I felt we worked on things that will serve us for the main championship in a certain way. Our main focus is on the European championship [FRECA], and for me this season, the goal is to win it. In the Middle East, my goal was more to learn, gain experience, make sure to cover the edges, make sure to be confident entering into the first weekend at Hockenheim. I believe I ticked the boxes I needed to.”

An inner-team title battle?

On several occasions, James Wharton was on pace with his teammates, and sometimes even faster than Rafael Câmara, who is tipped as the main FRECA title favourite because of his experience and results last year. These promising results have sharpened the ambitions of Wharton, and at the same time will be adding pressure on his Brazilian teammate.

“I feel like, at this point in my career, the second season I did in F4 will be helping me a lot to get into other categories. That’s why I have the expectation to be at the front immediately. Obviously, it’s a very hard task with Rafa being there and being the most experienced driver with lots of expectations on him.”

“I feel like in this sport, when expectations are on somebody, it’s harder to deliver. I feel like I’m more the underdog guy. I know Rafa very well as we were teammates in F4 in 2022. For me, it’s not a question of adding any pressure. It’s good to know your competitors and I know him more than any other driver.”

When asked about the other drivers he sees as his main rivals for the year, Wharton’s answer was pretty straightforward.

“Rafa, Ugo [Ugochukwu], Tuukka [Taponen], which is probably everyone’s thoughts as well. I feel like these are the main three.”

“The most important person you have to beat is your teammate. Ugo’s been very strong too, he has the support of McLaren, so he will always be one to watch. Of course, the winner of FRMEC, Tuukka, my teammate last year. I know them all quite well, I’ve driven against them many times.”

One title and bad luck in 2023

Last season, Wharton started his year on a high by winning F4 UAE – his maiden single-seater title – ahead of Taponen, Ugochukwu and Lindblad in what he calls “his biggest achievement in his career so far.”

“So good to get that one in the books. It’s very hard to get the first one, but I feel like once you get the first one, you understand how to approach the next championship and understand how to win it.”

However, the Australian driver couldn’t clinch another title in Europe, as he finished fourth in Italian F4 and runner-up in the Euro 4 mini-series. 

“You always want to carry on the streak, but it’s very hard to get back-to-back in this sport. The field was so competitive last year, everything has to fall in place.”

“From my point of view, I feel like we’ve maximised the races we could. We got very unlucky at several rounds – especially in Spa, where I won twice with only half of the points being awarded. This cost me a big chunk of points. But it’s motorsport, and I just have to take the positives about it.”

“At the end of the year, it was slightly disappointing, but I made a big step forward compared to the first year. I did the things I wanted to do. Of course I didn’t win the Italian [F4] championship but I feel like I proved myself in other ways. We’re here to win, so to finish P4 and P2 is not the goal. But it was still a decent last season, and I feel like I made enough to deserve a step up and being able to deliver more in Formula Regional.”

A new chapter of his career

However, 2024 will be James Wharton’s first single-seater season out of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He joined the FDA back in December 2020 after winning the FDA Scouting World Finals and entered Formula 4 with their support in 2022.

“The Ferrari Driver Academy was one of the most crucial parts of my career. I will always be thankful for how much I’ve learned from being in the FDA. Their support has been immense in such a crucial part of my career and I want to thank them for everything they did. However, it felt like it was time to start shining by myself on my own terms.” 

“I love the team, I love everybody at Ferrari, I grew up with so many people inside, I have very good relationships with them, that hasn’t changed! It’s not like we hate each other, and I’m always going to be part of that family. To be in Ferrari first of all is an honour, so you cannot take that away in one or two months.”

About his future rivals in FRECA, Wharton said the names of Câmara and Taponen, two drivers who are still part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. 

“Of course, it’s a supplementary motivation to see people that have been where you are. I’ve always wanted to win, but the fact of not being part of Ferrari anymore gives me even more motivation to prove myself.”. 

The next FRECA pre-season testing is scheduled at Circuit Paul-Ricard for 16-17 April, while the official season will kick off at Hockenheim on the weekend of the 10-12 May.

Header photo credit: Prema Racing