The Australian led the majority of the race from reverse-grid pole and spent much of the afternoon fighting off Ernesto Rivera, only to lose the lead on Lap 14 before a penultimate-lap mistake left him exposed and dropped him from second to fourth on the final lap.
It was a heartbreaking result for the 19-year-old, who had been chasing a second consecutive sprint race victory after triumphing in Barcelona last round, as well as a repeat of the Austria sprint win he claimed a year ago.
Wharton made the ideal start from pole, leading into Turn 1 as trouble unfolded behind him when Trident teammates Freddie Slater and Noah Stromsted collided.
LAP 1 / 21
Drama behind the leaders at Turn 1 😱
The TRIDENT team mates of Freddie Slater and Noah Stromsted make contact, damaging the British driver’s rear right suspension
🟡 SAFETY CAR 🟡#F3 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/Ifmn06Shen
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) June 27, 2026
Slater was sent out of the race with damage to his car, triggering an early safety car as Wharton led from Ernesto Rivera, while Wharton’s Prema teammate Louis Sharp climbed from 20th to 17th in the opening exchanges.
Wharton controlled the restart on Lap 3 and quickly set about building a small advantage, moving 0.8s clear of Rivera by Lap 5 while setting the fastest lap of the race.
Rivera closed back in once DRS was enabled, getting to within half a second of Wharton before a brief Virtual Safety Car was called for debris from Fionn McLaughlin’s damaged front wing.
Buy tickets
Wharton again responded well when racing resumed, pulling 1.4s clear by Lap 8 and setting another fastest lap as he looked to have the race under control.
Sharp also showed strong pace in the pack, moving up to 16th after passing Nicola Lacorte before briefly setting the fastest lap on Lap 9.
Rivera, however, slowly worked his way back into contention and began a relentless attack on Wharton through the Red Bull Ring’s three DRS zones.
The Campos driver repeatedly pressured Wharton into Turns 3 and 4, with the Australian defending firmly to keep hold of the lead.
There was contact on Lap 11 when Rivera locked up into Turn 3 and clipped the rear of Wharton’s car while attempting a move, though both continued without major damage.
Rivera then attacked again into Turn 4, only for Wharton to fight back and reclaim the position.
With the battle intensifying, Prema told Wharton to “try and be smart with this guy”, while Rivera’s team urged him “not to rush it”.
Wharton continued to hold firm, covering off further attempts into Turn 3 and Turn 4 as Rivera stayed glued to the back of the Prema driver.
The pressure finally told on Lap 14 when Rivera swept around the outside into Turn 4 and braked late enough to take the lead.
Wharton stayed within DRS range and immediately tried to respond, shadowing Rivera through the next phase of the race as he attempted to keep his hopes of victory alive.
He remained close enough to pressure Rivera across the closing laps, especially after Rivera locked up heavily into Turn 3 on Lap 18.
Wharton closed to within 0.3s on the penultimate lap, but his race unravelled when he ran wide at Turn 8 and brushed the gravel while pushing to stay with Rivera, dropping him out of DRS range and exposing him to the cars behind on the final lap.
Pedro Clerot passed Wharton on the run to Turn 4 for second before Jin Nakamura also found a way past around the outside, dropping the Australian from second to fourth in the space of two corners.
LAP 21 / 21
WHAT A MOVE FROM PEDRO CLEROT!!! 🤩
He sails around the outside of Nakamura at Turn 3 before getting the run on Wharton to take him on the run into Turn 4
Nakamura also fights his way through, going around the outside of Wharton at Turn 4! #F3 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/iQXBDQZxjc
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) June 27, 2026
Rivera went on to claim his first Formula 3 victory, finishing 1.7s clear of Clerot, with Nakamura third and Wharton just 0.2s behind in fourth.
Despite the disappointment of losing out on a win and a podium, the result still delivered Wharton his second points finish of the season, giving him seven more points and moving him to 18 for the campaign and into 12th in the championship.
Sharp crossed the line 15th, making his way up two places towards the end after a race-long battle with Lacorte.
Wharton will have another chance to score in the feature race at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, where he starts 12th, while Sharp lines up from 20th.
Discussion about this post