Draft:Sebastian Wheldon
Sebastian Wheldon (born 1 February 2009)[1] is an American-British racing driver who is set to compete in the 2025 Italian F4 Championship with Prema Racing. He most recently competed in the 2024 USF Juniors with VRD.[2] Wheldon is a member of Andretti Global's driver development programme.[3]
| Sebastian Wheldon | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States United Kingdom |
| Born | February 1, 2009 St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Related to | Dan Wheldon (father) Oliver Wheldon (brother) |
| USF Juniors career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Current team | Velocity Racing Development |
| Car number | 98 |
| Starts | 16 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| Previous series | |
| 2023 2024 | Skip Barber Formula Race Series YACademy Winter Series |
Career
[edit]Karting
[edit]Wheldon had a consistent karting career, with his best championship result at the national stage being a 3rd place in the SKUSA Winter Series in 2020, in the Mini Swift category. Wheldon has competed in the SKUSA SuperNationals twice in 2021 and 2022, with a best result of 7th in the X30 Junior category in 2021.[4]
Lower formulae
[edit]2023
[edit]Wheldon made his car racing debut in 2023, in the Skip Barber Formula Race Series. He managed to win the title against some experienced opposition including the likes of Jeshua Alianell, who had competed in the championship for two years previously. Wheldon amassed a total of 13 podiums, six wins and 10 fastest laps as he finished on 456 points over the course of 16 races.[4][5]
2024
[edit]In early 2024, it was announced that Wheldon would be joining the YACademy Winter Series with the VRD team, who would also be running his entry into the 2024 USF Juniors season.[2] Wheldon impressed in YACademy, winning once and standing on the podium four times in just six races, losing out on the title to sophomore driver Jack Jeffers.[6] As he moved on to the main season of USF Juniors, Wheldon had a strong first round, winning two races out of three and finishing second in the other at NOLA Motorsports Park, demonstrating that he would be a title contender as he moved to the top of the championship as a result.[7]
In December, Wheldon took part in the final round of Formula Trophy UAE. He achieved a grand slam during race 1 at the Yas Marina Circuit, marking his first motorsport victory outside of the Americas. The next day, he would place 4th in race 2.[8]
2025
[edit]At the start of 2025, Wheldon will race in the F4 Middle East Championship with Prema Racing. [9]
For his main campaign, Wheldon is set to compete in the Italian F4 Championship and E4 Championship with Prema Racing.[10][11]
Early and personal life
[edit]Wheldon was on 1 February 2009 in St. Petersburg, Florida.[11]
Wheldon is the son of IndyCar champion and 2x Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who was killed in an accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011.[12] His younger brother, Oliver, is currently competing in the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, the series which he himself won in 2023.[13]
Karting record
[edit]Karting career summary
[edit]| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup - Kid Kart | 4th | |
| 2019 | Florida Winter Tour - Mini ROK | JC Karting | 6th |
| ROK the Rio - Mini ROK | 10th | ||
| Biloxi ROK Fest - Mini ROK | 19th | ||
| 2020 | SKUSA Winter Series - Mini Swift | 3rd | |
| Florida Winter Tour - Mini ROK | JC Karting | 5th | |
| SKUSA Pro Tour - Mini Swift | 11th | ||
| 2021 | SKUSA SuperNationals - KA100 Junior | JC Karting | 13th |
| SKUSA SuperNationals - X30 Junior | 7th | ||
| 2022 | SKUSA SuperNationals - X30 Junior | JC Karting | 10th |
| Sources:[14][15] | |||
Racing record
[edit]Racing career summary
[edit]| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Skip Barber Formula Race Series | Skip Barber Racing School | 16 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 456 | 1st |
| 2024 | YACademy Winter Series | Velocity Racing Development | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 2nd |
| USF Juniors | 16 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 308 | 3rd | ||
| Formula Trophy UAE | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 9th | |
| 2025 | F4 Middle East Championship | Prema Racing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD |
| Italian F4 Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD | ||
| E4 Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD |
Complete Formula Trophy UAE results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | DUB 1 |
DUB 2 |
DUB 3 |
YMC1 1 |
YMC1 2 |
YMC2 1 1 |
YMC2 2 4 |
9th | 37 |
Complete Formula 4 Middle East Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Prema Racing | YMC1 1 3 |
YMC1 2 7 |
YMC1 3 5 |
YMC2 1 25† |
YMC2 2 12 |
YMC2 3 5 |
DUB 1 |
DUB 2 |
DUB 3 |
YMC3 1 |
YMC3 2 |
YMC3 3 |
LSL 1 |
LSL 2 |
LSL 3 |
6th* | 51* |
References
[edit]- ^ "Sebastian Wheldon (R)". www.usfjuniors.com. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Sebastian Wheldon To Make USF Juniors Debut This Season". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2021-04-24). "Andretti signs Dan Wheldon's sons Oliver and Sebastian as junior drivers". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ a b "Driver: Sebastian Wheldon | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Championships | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-02-11). "Jack Jeffers wins YACademy Winter Series title at Homestead-Miami". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-04-07). "Sebastian Wheldon starts the USF Juniors season on top". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ McClure, Michael (18 December 2024). "Wheldon 'didn't expect' to win first race outside US as he eyes Europe move". Feeder Series. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ "PREMA Racing set for dual Middle Eastern challenge". Prema Racing. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Wood, Ida (23 December 2024). "Andretti junior Sebastian Wheldon to spend 2025 with Prema in F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ a b "PREMA announces Wheldon for 2025 F4 Programme". Prema Racing. 23 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ "Meet the racing prospects who are Dan Wheldon's sons, Sebastian and Oliver". The Sun. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Oliver Wheldon Climbing to Cars in Skip Barber This Season". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Driver: Sebastian Wheldon | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Wheldon Sebastian". Kartcom (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-12.