James Wharton has returned to form this weekend in Budapest, securing reverse third place at the F3 Hungarian Grand Prix. The ART Grand Prix driver ended qualifying 10th fastest at the Hungaroring, capitalising on a strong final flying lap to turn around a challenging start to the day.
Following a difficult free practice session, Wharton reflected on what he believed to be a strong session for him and ART. Stating that the team were able to capitalise on all of their flying lap attempts, without encountering traffic or track limits.
“For me overall, the session wasn’t too chaotic… I was always in a good spot thanks to the team, so credit to them for putting me out into the right spot every time.”
From a difficult FP to Qualifying
Wharton also highlighted the swift turnaround for himself and the team. During Free Practice, he struggled to find rhythm and confidence in the car. With only a few hours between practice and qualifying, the Australian admitted he wasn’t feeling confident heading into the session.
“FP was a bit of a struggle this morning, and I wasn’t quite in the window with the driving. I wasn’t super confident going into Qualifying.“
However, as the qualifying session unfolded and his ART was fitted with new tyres, Wharton’s confidence began to grow, allowing him to put together a final run that earned him P10.
“In the first run, I made a really good step; the second run was a little bit more difficult, but then we put it all together for the last run.“
“It feels good going from one compound to a softer one for Qualifying. In FP, you feel like the car isn’t that good, but then you put a new Medium on. It feels completely different, more like a race car.”
Positive moves from Spa
Wharton’s positive showing in Budapest comes after a disappointing qualifying session last weekend in Spa-Francorchamps. ART had a challenging qualifying, where all three drivers missed out on the top 12. This weekend has turned that around in the best way.
“I think we’ve made a huge step from Spa, so credit to the team. It shows we’re super fast on some tracks and still struggling a little bit around others. It’s always good to make that step and go faster when you don’t make mistakes, which is the hard part.”
Another Sprint Race win?
With a Sprint Race victory already under his belt, James Wharton knows how to win in Formula 3. He now sets his sights on a second win in his rookie season, though he’ll be surrounded by tough competition.
“For me, it’s just about maximising being at the front. It’s not happened too many times this year, but the first time we were, I didn’t do too bad of a job. Hopefully it can be like that tomorrow—we just have to maximise the chances we have this year.”
“We’ve still got some tough opposition in front. I think Tas (Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak) will want his second win as well, but hopefully I can get him on the start.”
