Wharton holds off Slater to win Barcelona Sprint Race for PREMA
James Wharton delivered a controlled and timely victory in Saturdayâs Barcelona Sprint Race, recovering from early pressure to beat Freddie Slater and secure PREMA Racingâs place at the front.
Starting second, the Australian lost ground in the opening exchanges but responded with the kind of decisiveness that defines short-format racing. Once ahead, he managed two Safety Car restarts, kept Slater outside striking range when it mattered, and converted strong pace into his second Formula 3 victory.
Wharton Turns Early Setback Into Race Control
Polesitter Gerrard Xie made the stronger launch and defended the lead into Turn 1, initially keeping Wharton behind. That defence opened the door for Slater, who attacked for second and went wheel-to-wheel with Wharton through Turns 2 and 4 before taking the inside line at Turn 5.
Wharton did not wait long to respond. On Lap 3, he reclaimed second with a move down the inside of Slater at Turn 1, then began closing on Xie. With clear pace beneath him, the PREMA driver struck again at the same corner to take the lead.
Further back, Enzo Deligny and Bruno del Pino ran fifth and sixth for Van Amersfoort Racing, with Deligny calling over the radio for the pair to work together. The Barcelona weekend had already shown Campos strength in junior categories, including ThĂ©ophile Naelâs qualifying performance, covered here in our report on Naelâs Barcelona pole.
Safety Cars Shape the Middle Phase
Ernesto Riveraâs race ended after he slowed with an issue on the racing line, forcing Brando Badoer to take avoiding action. The pair made slight contact, allowing Ugo Ugochukwu to move into seventh. Rivera pulled off by the end of the following lap, just after Slater had passed Xie for second.
That move came moments before the Virtual Safety Car, which then became a full Safety Car at the start of Lap 8. Racing resumed on Lap 11, with Wharton defending from Slater through the opening sector.
Campos then endured another setback when Ugochukwu, battling Deligny through Turns 2 and 3, ran off line and spun into the gravel, triggering another Safety Car.
Championship Picture Tightens
Wharton nailed the Lap 17 restart and set the fastest lap to move beyond Slaterâs DRS range. Behind, Xie came under pressure from Tuukka Taponen but held firm to complete the podium.
Wharton won from Slater and Xie, with Taponen fourth ahead of Deligny, Del Pino, Yamakoshi, Nael, Louis Sharp and Noah Stromsted.
âI feel incredible. Itâs been a hard season so far, and I feel like this was needed for me and for the team as well,â Wharton said. âTo do something like this with someone so fast behind me like Freddie is very good for us.â
Ugochukwu remains championship leader, tied with Slater on 43 points, while Del Pino sits third on 40. Campos Racing continue to lead the Teamsâ Standings on 78 points, ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing and TRIDENT.
The Barcelona Feature Race follows on Sunday at 08:40 local time.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.