James Wharton third in F4 UAE opener as McLaren junior Ugochukwu takes victory
James Wharton has claimed a podium in the Formula 4 UAE season opener as American Ugo Ugochukwu took a commanding victory.
James Wharton finished third in the F4 UAE season opener. (YouTube / F4 UAE)
The McLaren junior led the grid away from pole position and held his lead to the chequered flag in the overcast conditions.
"I didn’t make any mistakes, I kept pushing, my pace got better, and I started to pull away," said Ugochukwu.
"Then the safety car came, but I did a good safety car restart."
"I just needed to manage the last lap, and I brought it home."
Ugo Ugochukwu leads the field as the first race of the 2023 season begins. (Formula 4 UAE)
Starting alongside him on the front row, Arvin Lindlad appeared to jump the start and was bogged down when he tried to correct.
He was able to resume his position by the first corner but received a five-second penalty, promoting Valerio Rinicella to second and Australian James Wharton to third.
Wharton started tenth after a difficult qualifying session but made quick work of the field, up to sixth by lap two and battling for fifth against teammate Tuukka Taponen.
The Ferrari junior made a bold move down the inside of the hairpin to gain the position, as Tapnonen began to fall down the field, passed by Valentin Kluss and Brando Badoer in consecutive laps.
Wharton held the position until the final lap of the race, a one-lap sprint to the finish after a safety car period.
The Mumbai Falcons driver wasted no time in dispatching MP Motorsport driver Krill Smal, who fell to seventh under an immense attack during the final lap.
With Lindblad second on the track but carrying a five-second penalty, Wharton took a well-earned podium in the first outing of the 2023 season.
Countryman Jimmy Piszcyk finished sixteenth for Hitech after starting nineteenth, in a solid performance ahead of some fierce midfield battles.
Nicola Lacorte’s stricken PREMA on the side of the Dubai circuit. (YouTube / F4 UAE)
One of the most dramatic was the struggle for nineteenth, with fellow Aussie Jack Beeton in a long-fought battle with Nicola Lacorte.
Flavio Olivieri joined the battle on lap seven, with the trio colliding in an off-screen incident that left Lacorte's PREMA wounded on the side of the Dubai Autodrome.
The incident brought out the sole safety car of the race, with the trio under a post-race investigation.
Fourth Aussie Noah Lisle was twenty-ninth.
