James Wharton to make Formula 3 debut with Hitech replacing race winner Stenshorne

Wharton will take the 15 Hitech car instead of the banned Martinius Stenshorne.

​Australian racer James Wharton has been announced that he will replace Martinius Stenshorne at Hitech for the upcoming Formula 3 round at Silverstone.

This is due to Stenshorne being handed a ban by theFIA after he competed at Silvesrtone already this year but in a different feeder series, the GB3 Championship.

The outcome of this decision was decided in May, that Stenshorne would be banned as he breached the competition's sporting regulations and had gained an unfair advantage competing around the Silverstone circuit in GB3.

In place of Stenshorne, will be James Wharton, who currently competes in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) with Prema Racing. It was announced that he would join the team as Hitech announced it via social media on Wednesday morning.

Speaking on joining up to Hitech, via their media, Wharton said: "I can't thank Hitech Grand Prix enough for the opportunity and for trusting me to take the wheel at Silvestone this weekend. This is the biggest opportunity I have had in my career so far. It's going to be a challenging weekend, but I can't wait to show what I can do."

Wharton will come in to replace Martinius Stenshorne, who has recently been recruited to the McLaren Junior Driver Programme.

Martinius Stenshorne (pictured) will be replaced by Wharton at this weekend's Silverstone round. Credit: Joe Portlock via Getty Images

Stenshorne will be replaced after being banned from this round due to him breaching sporting regulations of the Formula 3 competition and participating at the circuit in a different series. The FIA believes this gives him an unfair advantage after he competed in the GB3 Championship at the Silverstone Circuit.

The McLaren junior has had a good start to the season, which is his rookie season in the category. He took his maiden win in just his third race of the year - in the Melbourne sprint race and he has failed to look out of place in the Formula 3 category. He has only picked up one podium since and that was in the most recent sprint race at Austria.

Stenshorne currently sits 14th in the standings with three points scores to his name so far this season, but has had a points finish in each of the last two rounds.

The Norwegian driver will be replaced by 17-year old Wharton who has been racing in open-wheel racing since 2022. He has spent time driving in championships such as the Italian F4 championship, Formula 4 UAE Championship and this year has made the step to the Formula Regional Middle East Champioship and the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA).

In 2023, in his second season of the Formula 4 UAE Championship,managed to clinch the title and this is the only title but he did come close to winning the Euro 4 Championship as he finished second, behind eventual champion Ugo Ugochukwu.

The championship also saw Arvid Lindblad compete who is currently competing in Formula 3 and is a two-time race winner in the series.

​In the current Formula Regional European Championship season Wharton has had a positive start in his rookie season with Prema Racing. His teammates are Ugochukwu and current championship leader Rafael Camara. 

Wharton took pole position for race 1 at Zandvoort in June and sits sixth in the standings with two podiums to his name. 

It will be a big chance and a step up for Wharton. It could be a significant learning curve for the Australian, who is making the step up to Formula 3 to cover for Martinius Stenshorne. Wharton will join up with teammates Cian Shields and current championship leader Luke Browning.

A memorable weekend awaits Wharton as he will be performing at a Formula 1 weekend, in a support series, for the first time. A lot of learning is to come this weekend for him with the Hitech team. He will be hoping he can impress and get the most out of the weekend possible.

Formula 3 practice will kick off the weekend at Silverstone and it will take place on Friday morning.

Brandon Whiteside
​Writer - F1 Journal