• Login
  • Register
Speedcafe.com
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • PODS
  • PHOTOS
  • RESULTS
  • NETWORK 100
No Result
View All Result
  • SUPERCARS
  • F1
  • MOTOGP
  • NASCAR
  • INDYCAR
  • GT & ENDURANCE
  • KARTING
  • RALLY
  • SPEEDWAY
  • JOBS
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • PODS
  • PHOTOS
  • RESULTS
  • NETWORK 100
No Result
View All Result
  • Feed
  • Calendar
  • Results
  • Photos
  • Podcasts
  • Shop
Speedcafe.com
  • Supercars
  • F1
  • NASCAR
  • IndyCar
  • GT & Endurance
  • Karting
  • Bikes
  • Rally
  • Speedway
Home F1 Formula 3

Wharton and Sharp rue lacklustre Austria qualifying

Qualifying proved costly for James Wharton and Louis Sharp at the Austrian Grand Prix as Prema’s pace in the FIA Formula 3 Championship went largely unrewarded at the Red Bull Ring.

Ben Waterworth
Ben Waterworth
30 Jun 2026
Ben Waterworth
//
30 Jun 2026
// F1
A A
0
Wharton and Sharp rue lacklustre Austria qualifying
James Wharton scored more points in Austria but narrowly missed a podium. Image: XPB Images

Wharton finished the weekend with points after placing fourth in Saturday’s sprint race, but missed out on a podium after starting from reverse-grid pole and leading much of the contest.

The Australian was then left just outside the points in Sunday’s feature race, finishing 11th after starting 12th and spending much of the race stuck in traffic.

“We didn’t quite have the pace again today so overall a quite tough Sunday,” Wharton said after the feature race.

“We got stuck in a DRS train, which is very normal around the Red Bull Ring but hard to make many moves.

“We need to work hard for Silverstone and come back better next week, and we will.”

Wharton’s weekend had started with a qualifying result of 12th, which gave him pole for the reverse-grid sprint race.

Don’t miss out on grandstand tickets for the 2026 Repco Bathurst.
Secure your spot today.

He converted that into the lead on Saturday and held the position through the early stages before Ernesto Rivera eventually found a way past on Lap 14.

Wharton remained in the podium battle late on, but a mistake on the penultimate lap at Turn 8 left him vulnerable on the final lap as Pedro Clerot and Jin Nakamura both found a way past, dropping him to fourth.

“Overall, it was probably not the best race from my side. I definitely could have done a little bit more and would probably have had a podium, so it was a tough day,” Wharton said after the sprint race.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by James Wharton (@jameswharton_official)

Sharp’s weekend was also shaped by qualifying after the New Zealander lined up 20th for both races.

He recovered to 15th in the sprint race and set the fastest lap before making further progress in Sunday’s feature race to finish 13th.

“It was another good recovery drive today and nice to show some strong pace coming through the pack again,” Sharp said after the feature race.

“A similar story to yesterday in that it’s quite difficult to overtake in the DRS train but it’s good to confirm that our race pace is really strong.

“Looking forward to Silverstone next week. Qualifying is going to be super important and we need to maximise that, but it’s nice to know the race pace is there, we just need to nail quali.

“Good moves today and some strong speed shown.”

Sharp had also pointed to Prema’s race speed after Saturday’s sprint race, where he set the fastest lap despite conceding overtaking was difficult in the pack.

“It was a decent race and we made up a good few positions, it was pretty tricky in the dirty air to do much more,” he added.

“Really happy to get fastest lap though, I think it just shows the race pace we do have. We were quick, it was just hard to overtake in traffic.”

Wharton sits 14th in the drivers’ championship with 14 points, while Sharp remains on two points in 21st place, as the duo now head to Silverstone this weekend for the British Grand Prix.

Tags: austrian gpjames whartonlouis sharpprema racing

Discussion about this post

[postcode_search_form]

Latest from Torquecafe

More supercars could get faux-manual tech

14 July 2026

New Zealand-built V12 fires up ahead of hypercar berth

14 July 2026

Latest Podcasts

PODCAST: The titans of Townsville

14 July 2026

PODCAST: Townsville 500 daily – Sunday

12 July 2026

Related Articles

Sergio Perez talking to Christian Horner

Perez opens up on foreboding first Horner conversation

F1
10 hours ago
F1
0

PODCAST: The titans of Townsville

Podcasts
12 hours ago
Podcasts
0

Platinum Partners

Latest & Trending News

Anton De Pasquale will hit the track at QR on Wednesday. Image: Supplied

Chevrolet set for fuel economy test at Queensland Raceway

Supercars
14 July 2026
Supercars
0
Andrew Miedecke will perform demonstration runs at the Leyburn Sprints aboard a Peter Brock Mobil Ford Sierra.

Brock Sierra to feature at 246-car Historic Leyburn Sprints

National
14 July 2026
National
0
Dick Johnson Racing's Rylan Gray.

Kostecki defends struggling rookie DJR teammate

Supercars
14 July 2026
Supercars
0
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas presenting the MotoGP track layout to media in February. Image: Supplied

Anti-MotoGP song supporting Adelaide protest released

MotoGP
14 July 2026
MotoGP
0
Sergio Perez talking to Christian Horner

Perez opens up on foreboding first Horner conversation

F1
14 July 2026
F1
0
Jack Perkins (#888) leads John Goodacre (#93) in Mustang Cup Australia at Queensland Raceway

Mustang Cup to make maiden Bathurst visit in 2027

National
14 July 2026
National
0

Supercheap Auto

Weekly Poll presented by Michelin

POLL: Who’s your tip for the Supercars drivers' title?

Past Polls Vote now Results
Weekly Poll presented by Michelin
2026 Supercars Championship WINS POLES PTS
1
Matthew Payne
Penrite Racing
19 3 3 1656
2
Broc Feeney
Red Bull Ampol Racing
88 4 3 1564
3
Brodie Kostecki
Shell V-Power Racing Team
17 6 5 1469
4
Cam Waters
Monster Castrol Racing
6 2 3 1461
5
Kai Allen
Penrite Racing
26 2 0 1339
2026 Formula 1 Championship WINS POLES PTS
1
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
12 5 5 179
2
George Russell
Mercedes
63 2 4 154
3
Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
44 1 0 147
4
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
16 1 0 108
5
Lando Norris
McLaren
1 0 0 97
ADVERTISEMENT
[instagram-feed feed=2]
Support the partners that support Speedcafe
R & J Batteries Mobil 1 Supercheap Auto Michelin
Meguiars Coates KTM ACDelco PPQ
AASA Authentic Collectables Nueva Fastly Motorsport Australia
Green and white "speedcafe." logo on a black background, conveying a racing theme.
Speedcafe.com has been established to provide a daily motorsport news service to the industry and fans in Australia and internationally.
Follow Us

Categories

SUPERCARS

F1

NASCAR

INDYCAR

GT

MOTOGP

PHOTOS

TV

PODS

Platinum Partners

R&J BATTERIES
MOBIL1
SUPERCHEAP AUTO
ACDELCO

MICHELIN
MEGUIARS

COATES

Newsletter

Subscribe to our daily newsletter, the best way to get your news first, fast and free!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Your daily racing fix - Newsletter

Subscribe to our daily and breaking newsletter for all the latest news delivered direct to your box

SUBSCRIBE
Follow Us

Categories

SUPERCARS

F1

NASCAR

INDYCAR

GT

MOTOGP

PHOTOS

TV

PODS

Platinum Partners

R&J BATTERIES
MOBIL1
SUPERCHEAP AUTO
ACDELCO

MICHELIN
MEGUIARS

COATES

Green and white "speedcafe." logo on a black background, conveying a racing theme.

Copyright © 2026 Speedcafe.com. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Our Team /  Advertise with us / Comments Policy / Privacy Policy /

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Calendar
  • Results
  • Event guides
  • Podcasts
  • Shop
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Network 100

Copyright © 2025 Speedcafe.com This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Calendar
  • Results
  • Event guides
  • Podcasts
  • Shop
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Network 100

Copyright © 2025 Speedcafe.com This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

[mailpoet_form id=”28″]