Prema Racing confirmed both drivers would not take part in Sunday morning’s feature race, reducing the grid to 28 cars.
Although details of injuries have not been disclosed, both drivers were withdrawn on medical grounds.
“Prema Racing confirms that drivers James Wharton and Louis Sharp will take no further part in this weekend’s FIA Formula 3 event following the incident involving both drivers during yesterday’s Sprint Race,” a Prema Racing statement read.
“Following medical evaluations after the accident, the team and medical staff have jointly taken the decision to withdraw both drivers from the remainder of the weekend’s activities.
“We are pleased to confirm that both James and Louis are in good spirits and recovering well. Both drivers are expected to return to the cockpit in the coming weeks.
“Prema Racing would like to thank the FIA medical team and circuit staff for their immediate response and professional care.
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“Further updates will be provided in due course.”
The teammates came together in dramatic fashion midway through the sprint race while battling for seventh position.
Running side-by-side through the opening sector, the pair were locked in a tense fight before contact occurred at Turn 5.
The incident immediately triggered a Safety Car before race control red-flagged the race due to the damage to the barriers and the required clean-up.
Formula 1 practice was delayed by 20 minutes as repairs to the barriers continued.
Sharp was determined to have been wholly at fault for the collision, which dropped him to 16th in the classification.
What’s rule one of racing your teammate? 😬
The incident that brought the opening Sprint Race of 2026 to an early conclusion ❌#F3 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/jRXfEo1Kkn
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) March 7, 2026
Speaking on Sunday morning, Wharton said the team had both cars ready to race but was advised not to race to prioritise his health.
“Hey everyone, James here. As you can see I’m at the track this morning,” said Wharton.
“I just went in for another x-ray this morning and it’s decided that I won’t be racing today for the feature race.
“The medical staff have made it quite clear that it’s better for my health to rest up and take it easy for the next couple of weeks.
“So just wanted to let you guys know that I won’t be racing today in the feature race. Super disappointing.
“I wish we weren’t in this situation, but just wanted to say thank you for the team.
“The car is ready. And after that big of an incident to have the car ready within 12 hours is crazy from them.
“So really thankful for the team and I can’t thank them enough for their work overnight. And just disappointed that we can’t get a result today and won’t be able to compete.
“So thank you to everyone and I’ll see you in a couple of weeks and now I’ll start recovering.”
With the Prema pair now ruled out of the feature race, Australian rookie Patrick Heuzenroeder will line up 21st on the 28-car grid in his Formula 3 debut weekend at Albert Park.
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