The Australian initially set the pace on Thursday before crashing at the high-speed Turn 14 chicane.
The left side of his Prema car was heavily damaged, though Wharton escaped injury.
Wharton had only completed five laps in the 45-minute session, which was extended due to the red flag.
Campos driver Theophile Nael set the pace on a 1:25.794 just 0.059s ahead of Audi junior Freddie Slater for Trident.
New Zealand’s Louis Sharp was sixth fastest for Prema with a 1:26.175 to end the session 0.381s adrift of Nael.
Formula Regional Oceania champion Ugo Ugochukwu (Campos) was third-fastest ahead of Bruno del Pino (Van Amersfoort) and Pedro Clerot (Rodin).
Secure your spot today.
“Sorry to my mechanics and sorry to my team,” Wharton wrote on social media.
“Unclear what happened. I had a lot of confidence after the first laps. Need to come back stronger tomorrow.”
Qualifying for the FIA Formula 3 Championship begins at 7:05pm AEST on Friday, which is split into two groups. Sharp will be part of Group A while Wharton will be in Group B.
A BIG impact for James Wharton in FP 😫💥
Thankfully, the Australian climbed out of the car as the fantastic Monaco marshals set to work on the barrier repairs 🛠️#F3 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/PJS0EemyJ1
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) June 4, 2026
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