James Wharton has started the brand-new Euro 4 Championship on a high – ending the three-race opening weekend in second place on the standings.

Debuting at the famous Mugello Circuit in Tuscany, the new three-round series puts the best F4 drivers from around the world against each other.
 
Organised by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion, there were 26 cars from 7 different teams driven by youngsters from 18 different nations, four drivers of which were Australian.

The Aussies entered in the event were Italian F4 Championship regulars Jack Beeton, Gianmarco Pradel, Wharton, and Spanish F4 Championship driver Griffin Peebles, with the quartet completing two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and three races over the weekend.

Wharton was the standout performer of the four as the Ferrari Driver Academy driver picked up a P6, podium and race win over the weekend – the final race proving an emphatic display after a lights out to chequered flag victory.

Out of Pradel and Beeton, it was the former who had more better results over the weekend, but it was Beeton who ended the round higher on the standings.

In race one, Pradel finished in P12 and two places above Beeton, who was later demoted to 18th after receiving a time penalty, before Pradel finished 12th again in the final race while Beeton was forced to retire on lap 10.

However, it was the middle race that ultimately proved the difference between the two– Beeton’s seventh place to Pradel’s ninth place finish seeing the young Queenslander finish the weekend higher on the standings.

Wharton on the other hand, finished the weekend second place on the standings with 48 points overall and trailing leader Ugo Ugochukwu by 18 points.

Unfortunately for Peebles, he was unable to score any points over the weekend as he recorded a P14, P15 and P23.

The next round of the Euro 4 Championship will take place in Monza on 15-17 September.

Other Aussies competing over the weekend included Molly Taylor in the Extreme E Championship and Matt Campbell in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Sportscar Championship.

Neither driver was able to walk away with a podium in their respective championships though, with Campbell and co-driver Felipe Nasr finishing the Chevrolet Grand Prix in sixth place – a disappointing result considering they qualified in fifth.

As for Taylor, she and partner Kevin Hansen lost their lead on the Extreme E Championship standings after being unable to make the Grand Final in either one of the weekend’s Island Grand Prix rounds.

While they didn’t make the Finals, they still recorded a win and second place in the Redemption Races, which ultimately saw them place sixth and seventh overall, while also winning one of the Qualifying Heats.  
 
The duo now sit in third place overall and remain in contention for the title, with 12 points separating them and new leaders Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.