Wharton says F2 debut with TRIDENT meant ‘the world’ as he prepares for Formula 3 season

8 January 2026

James Wharton was delighted to get a first chance to drive a Formula 2 car after taking to the track in Lusail, Qatar for TRIDENT at the penultimate round of the 2025 season.

Just after completing the last 2025 Formula 3 post-season test in Imola, Wharton was back in the car, but this time in F2 after getting a call from TRIDENT to fill in at Round 13 in Lusail International Circuit.

The Australian and the team struggled over the course of the weekend, as he was hampered by issues in Qualifying, retired with collision damage from the Sprint and finished P19 in the Feature Race.

Despite that though, Wharton views his debut F2 weekend with a lot of positivity.

“Doing a race weekend in F2 before being in F2 is the most amazing thing as a driver,” said Wharton. “Having the experience of a whole race weekend before moving to F2 is something that I am happy to take under my wings.

“Overall it was an amazing experience, to do my first pitstop, to do my first quali in an F2 car. But at the same time it was a weekend where the luck was not our side, and we did not show our true potential.

Wharton was delighted to get his first taste of F2 machinery at Lusail with TRIDENT

“We didn't show the true pace we had all weekend, so with the competitive side of myself, my first weekend in F2, I didn't have many expectations, but we had a lot of pace and we were just not able to show it.

“From being super unlucky in quali with an issue and in the Feature having a slower pitstop than we should have. Overall, it was a tough weekend from a luck point of view, but from an opportunity and learning point of view I am super happy.

“It meant the world and I can't thank the team enough for giving me the opportunity. A new track learned, a new category learned, so can't wait for my F3 season now, to start on the right foot and hopefully I can make that step in my career after next year.”

Wharton says he received a call from the Italian outfit a week and a half prior to the race weekend and jumped on the plane immediately to return to Milan to start his preparations.

In addition to that, he spoke to several of his close friends with Formula 2 experience about what to expect ahead of jumping into the car.

“There have been a couple of people that I have been able to speak to, like Arvid and Dino who have been in the category and understand how the weekend is going to go,” he said.

Wharton says it meant a lot to get a chance to race in F2 ahead of returning to Formula 3

“It's hard to know how the weekend will go without having done it yourself. When people tell you what's going on, it's very easy to understand, they can only do so much, but it's very nice to speak to people.”

When asked for his first impressions of the Formula 2 car, Wharton responded: “High speed is crazy fast compared to F3. But in the slow speed corners, it's really technical, and you have to be very precise in your driving, because the car is heavier.

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“So every input is changing the car balance a lot. That means you have to be super precise in the quali laps and in the races, long runs are super difficult with high deg, and also you are managing the way the balance is.

“The car is heavier than F3, so every input you do is making a massive difference, whether you are on the brake or on throttle. Everything can change from the way the car is reacting, so a very technical car and you have to be precise to be fast.”

Wharton is getting set to return to Formula 3 where he will be competing in his second season, and while it is a different car, he says there are a few things he can take from his F2 debut into the 2026 campaign.

Wharton spoke of the major differences he found driving the F2 car

“I have to take the positives,” he added. “The speed is there, in a brand-new category, and I need to have confidence in myself that I am good enough to drive anything and drive with the best in the world.

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“So I have to bring that confidence into the next season and having that experience in a faster car and in a more intense environment is going to make F3 a bit simpler for me.

“I will be able to have a bit more time in the laps, make things a bit slower, so it will give me sometime in F3 and take some confidence from the pace I had.”