![\"Wharton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/XPB_1388387_HiRes.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJames Wharton is hoping to attract the attention of F1 teams when he steps up to F2 in 2027. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJames Wharton is hoping to attract the attention of F1 teams when he steps up to F2 in 2027. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
The Australian will contest his first full F2 season next year after securing a seat with Trident<\/a>, returning to the squad that gave him a one-off opportunity in the championship at Qatar late in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wharton arrives at the next stage of his career after two seasons in Formula 3 which produced victories but did not deliver the championship results he had hoped for.<\/p>\n Speaking to Speedcafe, the 20-year-old said those campaigns had tested his confidence, but insisted he had to trust that his opportunity in F2 had come for a reason, pointing to fellow Australians Jack Doohan and Oscar Piastri as proof of what can be achieved through the category.<\/p>\n \u201cI just have to believe that I wouldn\u2019t be here if I wasn\u2019t good enough,\u201d Wharton said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it definitely takes a toll when you have some years where you\u2019re not fully happy with how it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I just know that I\u2019m still the same driver as what I was and I just need to believe that if they\u2019ve done it, I can do it as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m no different to Jack. I\u2019m no different to Oscar. And we\u2019ve come from the same place and we have a very similar mentality.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m very much looking forward to next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Wharton\u2019s own route into F2 has been less straightforward than those taken by his compatriots.<\/p>\n Wharton finished 18th in F3 during 2025 before improving to 17th this season with Prema, collecting 39 points compared to 25 the previous year.<\/p>\n He won the Barcelona sprint<\/a> and claimed second place in the Madrid sprint<\/a> at the final round, while scoring in eight races across the campaign.<\/p>\n Wharton admitted he wanted considerably more from his second year in the category, but felt his progress as a driver was not fully reflected by the championship table.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely wanted a lot more out of my year so far,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I feel like in motorsport we have a lot of smart people, and I feel like you can very much see from the outside what\u2019s going on between teams and stuff like that.<\/p>\n \u201cSo for me, I felt like there was parts of this year where I did a really really good job.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd talking about a pressure situation, I feel like I\u2019ve shown a lot of times in my career that if I\u2019m fighting for championships, I\u2019ll definitely deliver.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I just need to try and keep believing that hard work will pay off. At the moment, it hasn\u2019t just yet. But I am trusting the process I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n That process now takes Wharton into a season he believes could work in his favour precisely because there is little external expectation surrounding him.<\/p>\n The Australian is currently unattached to an F1 junior program and knows strong F2 results alone may not be enough unless they also make an impression on the people making decisions at grand prix teams.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the seasons I\u2019ve had I believe I can go into next year with no expectation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI can go and do the best possible every weekend. And at the end of the day, right now, I am not affiliated with any academy in F1. I\u2019m not on the radar right now.<\/p>\n \u201cSo for me there\u2019s not much to lose. It\u2019s about going out there and every weekend trying to prove myself that I can be there.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019m in quite a good situation where if I can just maximise every weekend next year in 2027, the opportunities will come.\u201d<\/p>\n Wharton said attracting that attention would be one of the most important objectives of his rookie F2 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing right now is catching an eye of someone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, if I win five races but I don\u2019t catch an eye of someone, it doesn\u2019t really matter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more about doing things that are going to be in the spotlight for them. And that\u2019s being consistent. That\u2019s taking advantage of people\u2019s mistakes and being there when it counts.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, yeah, there\u2019s a lot of opportunity. But at the same time, I\u2019ve obviously made it very difficult for myself as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot easier ways to do it than I have, but at the same time I have just as much opportunity as anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n