Written by Vyas Ponnuri and Sean McKean
Welcome to Feeder Series Recap, your weekly series bringing you the best of driver announcements from the world of Formula 2, Formula 3, as well as F1 Academy. With Jenzer leaving, a vacant spot opened up on the Formula 3 grid, with the newest addition to the grid finalised. Vyas and Sean take you through this week's news.....
FORMULA 3: James Wharton graduates to F3 with ART
ART Grand Prix became the third team to round out their driver line-up by announcing James Wharton as the driver of the No. 9 car.
Wharton started his single-seaters career in 2022 with Prema – teaming up with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Rafael Câmara. He took part in F4 UAE, Italian F4, and ADAC F4, taking a combined five wins and finishing fifth in the standings in all three championships.
The Australian went for Year Two in F4 machinery in 2023. He started off strong by taking the F4 UAE title in dominant fashion ahead of Tuukka Taponen. In Italian F4, however, he was overshadowed by eventual champion Kacper Sztuka and teammate Ugo Ugochukwu – finishing fourth in the standings. In Euro 4, Wharton managed to finish runner-up in the standings.
The 18-year-old’s busiest year came this year. He started by taking part in Formula Regional Middle East and finishing sixth there. Wharton’s main campaign in Europe, however, has been much more successful, as he sits second in the standings with four wins – including a weekend sweep in Barcelona. He also took part in five races in the GB3 Championship and tallied 30 points.
Wharton goes into 2025 with an F3 round on his belt, having stood in for the banned Martinius Stenshorne in the Silverstone round. He had a best finish of 18th in the sprint race.
FORMULA 3: Noel León moves to PREMA Racing for 2025
Reigning champions PREMA Racing have completed their line-up for 2025, signing Noel León to complete their trio of racers for the upcoming Formula 3 season. León will be partnering rookies Ugo Ugochukwu and Brando Badoer, both McLaren juniors stepping up from FRECA to the premier Formula 3 series.
The Mexican racer was one of the standout names in the recently-concluded Formula 3 season, steadily accumulating points on his way to tenth in the standings for Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR).
While he was reinstated and then denied a maiden victory at Imola, due to a safety car infringement, León ensured he stood on the podium multiple times all year, finishing third in the Imola sprint, before taking second after battling for the lead in the Silverstone sprint.
The VAR racer finished third at the Hungaroring, later promoted to second after ART racer Laurens van Hoepen was disqualified, due to his ART being below the required weight limit.
León's best overall weekend of the year came at Spa-Francorchamps, the penultimate round of the season, as he took third in the sprint along with the fastest lap, backing up his Saturday performance with fourth in the feature race on Sunday.
It was a sign of the confidence he had gained, having learnt the ropes early in his rookie season for VAR, and a glimpse of the talent that powered him to a Euroformula Open championship in 2023, prior to joining Formula 3.
“I am super happy and proud to join PREMA Racing for my second FIA Formula 3 season." León expressed. "I’m very thankful for their trust, and I can’t wait to start working with the team and prepare for the season. I will give my absolute best to fight for both championships.”
León took part in the recent post-season test at Jerez for the Italian outfit, finishing 12th in the classification. There's no doubt he will be a contender for the championship come the new season, as his raw talent matches up with PREMA Racing's Formula 3 winning pedigree.
FORMULA 3: DAMS join the FIA Formula 3 grid for 2025 and beyond
In an important development for the 2025 Formula 3 season, DAMS Lucas Oil have announced their decision to enter the lowest rung on the Road to Formula One. The French marque will take over the spot vacated by the departing Jenzer outfit, ensuring the grid remains at ten teams.
DAMS Lucas Oil have been a major name across junior formulae and sports car racing, with many big names having raced under the DAMS name during their junior careers.
From future F1 drivers such as Erik Comas and Olivier Panis winning championships for DAMS in the 1990s to future endurance racers Jose Maria Lopez and Nicolas Lapierre winning races in the team's maiden GP2 campaign in 2005, the team continued to open doors into further avenues.
DAMS' tenure in GP2, and later F2 has seen many youngsters launch their careers. From Toyota junior drivers such as Kazuki Nakajima and Franck Perera to Kamui Kobayashi in the late 2000s, to Jerome D'Ambrosio and current Alpine racer Pierre Gasly, to Williams racer Alex Albon, and former F1 driver Nicholas Latifi, many names have graced DAMS overalls in the recent past.
The team boast an exciting line-up featuring American racers Jak Crawford and Juan Manuel Correa in Formula 2 today.
Perhaps it's in DAMS DNA to expand their presence within motorsport. Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel expressed a delightful welcome to the newest team on the grid:
“To complete the grid, we welcome DAMS to the list of selected teams. We know them very well from the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Their pedigree and level of performance make them the perfect addition to the F3 field," Michel was quoted saying.
While it's set to be new territory for DAMS, it will definitely be exciting to see how the French outfit fare in their debut Formula 3 season next year.
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