Sebastian Wheldon
| Sebastian Wheldon | |
|---|---|
Wheldon in 2025 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 1 February 2009 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Relatives | Dan Wheldon (father) Oliver Wheldon (brother) |
| Formula Regional European Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2026 |
| Current team | Prema Racing |
| Car number | TBA |
| Starts | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | TBD in 2026 |
| Previous series | |
| 2026 2025 2025 2025 2024 2024 2024 2023 | FR Middle East E4 Italian F4 F4 Middle East Formula Trophy UAE USF Juniors YACademy Winter Series Skip Barber Formula Race Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 2023 | Skip Barber Formula Race Series |
Sebastian Wheldon (born 1 February 2009)[1] is an American racing driver currently set to compete in the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema Racing.
In 2024, he competed in USF Juniors with Velocity Racing Development, and finished third in the 2025 Italian F4 Championship. Wheldon is a member of Andretti Global's driver development program.[2][3]
Early and personal life
Wheldon was born on 1 February 2009 in St. Petersburg, Florida.[4]
Wheldon is the son of IndyCar champion and two-times Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who was killed in an accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011.[5] His younger brother, Oliver, is also a racing driver.[6] Wheldon was featured in the HBO Max documentary The Lionheart, which covered the legacy of his father's death on him, his brother, and his mother, Susie Wheldon.[7][8]
During the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Wheldon drove the pace car during the parade lap in honor of his father.[6][9]
Career
Karting (2014–2022)
Wheldon had a consistent karting career, with his best championship result at the national stage being a third 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 seventh in the X30 Junior category in 2021.[10]
Formula 4 (2023–2025)
2023
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 thirteen podiums, six wins and ten fastest laps as he finished on 456 points over the course of sixteen races.[10][11][12]
2024
In early 2024, it was announced that Wheldon joined the YACademy Winter Series with the VRD team, who would also be running his entry into the 2024 USF Juniors season.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15][16]
In December, Wheldon took part in the final round of Formula Trophy UAE. He achieved pole position and a victory during race 1 at the Yas Marina Circuit, marking his first motorsport win outside of the Americas. The next day, he placed fourth in race two.[17]
2025
At the start of 2025, Wheldon competed in the F4 Middle East Championship with Prema Racing.[18] He finished in third place during round one at Yas Marina.[19]
For his main campaign, Wheldon competed in the Italian F4 Championship and E4 Championship with Prema Racing.[4][20][21]
Formula Regional (2026–)
Prior to the start of his main 2026 campaign, Wheldon participated in the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy with Mumbai Falcons.[22]
Wheldon will remain with Prema Racing as he moves up to the Formula Regional European Championship.[23]
Karting record
Karting career summary
| 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:[24][25] | |||
Racing record
Racing career summary
| 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 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 7th |
| Italian F4 Championship | 20 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 256 | 3rd | ||
| E4 Championship | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 88 | 4th | ||
| FIA F4 World Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | N/a | 4th | ||
| 2026 | Formula Regional Middle East Trophy | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 71 | 5th |
| Formula Regional European Championship | Prema Racing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD |
* Season still in progress.
American open-wheel racing results
USF Juniors
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Velocity Racing Development | NOL 1 1* |
NOL 2 2" |
NOL 3 1* |
ALA 1 6 |
ALA 2 2 |
VIR 1 21 |
VIR 2 19 |
VIR 3 1 |
MOH 1 22 |
MOH 2 4 |
ROA 1 8 |
ROA 2 18* |
ROA 3 1* |
POR 1 2 |
POR 2 3 |
POR 3 2 |
3rd | 308 |
Complete Formula Trophy UAE results
(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 F4 Middle East Championship results
(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 Ret |
DUB 2 9 |
DUB 3 7 |
YMC3 1 12 |
YMC3 2 8 |
YMC3 3 7 |
LUS 1 8 |
LUS 2 8 |
LUS 3 17 |
7th | 90 |
Complete Italian F4 Championship results
(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 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Prema Racing | MIS1 1 1 |
MIS1 2 |
MIS1 3 2 |
MIS1 4 5 |
VLL 1 |
VLL 2 2 |
VLL 3 1 |
VLL 4 25 |
MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 3 |
MNZ 3 28 |
MUG 1 7 |
MUG 2 4 |
MUG 3 14 |
IMO 1 10 |
IMO 2 C |
IMO 3 11 |
CAT 1 6 |
CAT 2 4 |
CAT 3 C |
MIS2 1 1 |
MIS2 2 1 |
MIS2 3 |
MIS2 4 1 |
MIS2 5 7 |
3rd | 256 |
Complete E4 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Prema Racing | LEC 1 3 |
LEC 2 4 |
LEC 3 3 |
MUG 1 9 |
MUG 2 9 |
MUG 3 1 |
MNZ 1 8 |
MNZ 2 4 |
MNZ 3 10 |
4th | 88 |
Complete FIA F4 World Cup results
| Year | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mygale M21-F4 | 1st | DNF | 4th |
Complete Formula Regional Middle East Trophy results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | YMC1 1 31 |
YMC1 2 21 |
YMC1 3 14 |
YMC2 1 7 |
YMC2 2 4 |
YMC2 3 3 |
DUB 1 Ret |
DUB 2 17 |
DUB 3 9 |
LUS 1 2 |
LUS 2 C |
LUS 3 2 |
5th | 71 |
References
- ^ "Sebastian Wheldon (R)". USF Juniors. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ Wood, Ida (24 April 2021). "Andretti signs Dan Wheldon's sons Oliver and Sebastian as junior drivers". Formula Scout. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (24 April 2021). "Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon, sons of late Indy 500 winner, signed by Andretti Autosport". NBC Sports. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b "PREMA announces Wheldon for 2025 F4 Programme". Prema Racing. 23 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ Caldwell, Dave (8 June 2021). "Susie Wheldon: 'Dan would have been over the moon about our sons racing'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b Brown, Nathan (21 February 2025). "Dan Wheldon's son, wife take honorary starting roles for IndyCar's 2025 visit to St. Pete". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (12 March 2024). "The Lionheart: Dan Wheldon documentary covers grief, loss, love and familial legacy". Associated Press. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Gregory, Sean (12 March 2024). "Her Husband Died After a Car Crash. Now Her Sons Are Racing Too". TIME. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Dan Wheldon's family to fill key roles at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg". Tampa Bay Times. 21 February 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Driver: Sebastian Wheldon | Driver Database". DriverDatabase. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Championships | Driver Database". DriverDatabase. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon taking next steps in their father's footsteps". RACER. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Sebastian Wheldon To Make USF Juniors Debut This Season". IndyCar Series. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-02-11). "Jack Jeffers wins YACademy Winter Series title at Homestead-Miami". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Wood, Ida (7 April 2024). "Sebastian Wheldon starts the USF Juniors season on top". Formula Scout. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Simmons, Marcus (12 April 2024). "Wheldon Jr hailed as big talent by team boss after winning debut". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kra-Caskey, Calla (20 January 2025). "Feeder Series weekend review: 17–19 January". Feeder Series. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Wood, Ida (23 December 2024). "Andretti junior Sebastian Wheldon to spend 2025 with Prema in F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ Konenski, Austin (23 December 2024). "Sebastian Wheldon joins PREMA Racing for 2025 Formula 4 season". Motorsports Wire. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Formula Regional Middle East Trophy: 2026 season guide". Feeder Series. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Wheldon makes FIA FREC step with PREMA for 2026". Prema Racing. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Driver: Sebastian Wheldon | Driver Database". DriverDatabase. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Wheldon Sebastian". Kartcom (in French). Retrieved 12 May 2024.