Hitech Formula 3 team has named Australian driver James Wharton as the replacement for suspended Martinius Stenshorne at the upcoming Silverstone race weekend. This decision comes after Stenshorne’s ban for participating in an unapproved GB3 event at the same track.
Wharton, currently sixth in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine standings, will make his Formula 3 debut at the British Grand Prix-supporting event. The 18-year-old Australian, a former Ferrari Driver Academy member, brings a strong track record from Italian F4, where he finished in the top five in the past two seasons.
Stenshorne suspended, James Wharton in
The replacement became necessary after Stenshorne, a McLaren junior who had previously won the Melbourne sprint race, was suspended for competing in a GB3 meeting at Silverstone in April without prior approval. This participation violated Article 10.4 of F3’s sporting regulations, which requires written permission from the promoter or the FIA for drivers to compete in other series.
An FIA document revealed that Stenshorne claimed unawareness of the regulation, stating that both the test and GB3 participation were arranged by his management team. Hitech Pulse-Eight, while present at the GB3 event running three cars, maintained they were unaware of Stenshorne’s participation until receiving the stewards’ summons.
Permission would not have been granted
The FIA clarified that even if permission had been sought, it would not have been granted due to the similarities between GB3 and F3 cars, and the potential sporting advantage for the driver.
Interestingly, Wharton himself participated in the same GB3 meeting at Silverstone with Fortec, achieving the best finish of 11th on his category debut.
Expressing his excitement about the opportunity, Wharton said, “I can’t thank Hitech Grand Prix enough for the opportunity and for trusting me to take the wheel this weekend at Silverstone. This is the biggest opportunity I’ve 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.”
Feature Image: X | @jameswharton_