F2 title contender and Williams Racing Academy Driver, Luke Browning will take part in the first practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Browning will be taking over the wheel of Carlos Sainz’s FW47 for the opening 60 minute session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, fulfilling the third of four mandated rookie driver runs for Williams this year.
It is set to mark his second outing in Williams’ 2025 challenger following an FP1 appearance in Bahrain earlier this year, which came after Browning’s F1 practice debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He has also driven the FW45 extensively in the squad’s TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme, while providing additional support through simulator development work.
Browning is currently involved in a close fight for the F2 title, holding third in the standings on 161 points with two rounds to go – behind Aston Martin development driver Jak Crawford on 169 points and leader Leonardo Fornaroli on 188 points.
I’m hugely grateful to be given another chance to drive in a free practice session with Williams and to experience the FW47 for a second time. I’ve been working hard to prepare for the session so I can make the most of this amazing opportunity and help the team plan for the race weekend ahead. I can’t wait to get back into an F1 car and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone in the Driver Academy and at Williams for their trust and support. Browning on the news.
Luke has had a strong season in Formula 2 so far, consistently showing his pace across a range of circuits and racing conditions. He has continued to support the team through his simulator work and the TPC programme, preparing him well for his next free practice session. We look forward to seeing him take to the track in Mexico as he continues to build his experience as a Williams Racing Academy Driver. Sven Smeets, Williams’ Sporting Director.
Luke Browning will be making another Formula 1 free practice session appearance with Williams in Bahrain this weekend.
The Formula 2 racer, will be taking over Carlos Sainz’s car in Friday’s opening session, having made his F1 practice debut with Williams in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year.
Last week, he drove the team’s FW45 car from 2023 at Monza alongside fellow F2 racer Victor Martins, who recently joined the Williams Academy.
Browning has been part of the Williams Academy since 2023, during that time he also drove the FW46 at the post-season young drivers’ test last year.
Currently he is competing in FIA Formula 2 Championship in his first full campaign, after he took part in six races last season after finishing third in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Being given another opportunity to drive in a free practice session with Williams is a dream come true, and I’m getting more and more confidence each time I drive the car. My main aim for FP1 is to get more comfortable with the procedures and environment that come with F1, and to build on my experience from Abu Dhabi last December. I’m excited to feel the progression from the FW46 to the FW47 and I feel incredibly grateful to James [Vowles], Sven [Smeets] and the team at Grove for entrusting me with the car. I’m excited to feel the progression from the FW46 to the FW47 and I feel incredibly grateful to James [Vowles], Sven [Smeets] and the team at Grove for entrusting me with the car. Browning on the news.
Luke has made strong progress since his first F2 weekend last year and scored good points in the opening race of the season in Australia. His previous FP1 experience, participation in our TPC [testing of previous cars] programme, and simulator work have prepared him well for this weekend and we look forward to seeing him take this next step forward in his development. Williams Sporting Director, Smeets.
Hitech Pulse-Eight have announced that Luke Browning will race for the team in Formula 2 next season, their first confirmed driver for 2025.
Browning made the step up to F2 earlier this season in Baku after a stellar 2024 campaign with Hitech in F3 in which he fought for the title until the final race of the year.
The Williams Racing Driver Academy member finished the year with three podiums, including two Feature Race victories in Sakhir and Spielberg.
He goes into the 2025 season having accumulated F2 experience this year, taking part in the final three rounds of the year in Baku, Lusail and Yas Marina, scoring points across the six races.
I’m so happy that I’ll be racing in F2 with Hitech next season. I’ve been through every category of single seater racing with this team and to be able to complete the ladder with them is incredibly important and special for me. I would like to thank Oliver Oakes in particular for his support throughout the last three seasons. There is nothing I want more than to win the F2 Championship with this group of people around me, and that is our goal for 2025. Browning on the news.
After three seasons with Hitech, Luke has worked closely with the team at every stage of his journey up the single-seater ladder. We’re extremely proud of his progression to F2, and to see him get his competitive F1 debut last week in Abu Dhabi. With Luke getting the opportunity to step up to Formula 2 for the final three rounds of the current season, coupled with the experience he has gathered from his Formula 1 Free Practice, and the Young Driver Test this week, we couldn’t have wished for better preparation for his 2025 campaign. Luke and Hitech share the same objective for 2025 – to win the Formula 2 Championship – and we have no doubt that he will be fighting for victories every step of the way. Clive Hatton, Hitech Team Manager.
Jenzer Motorsport’s Max Esterson ended up with the fastest time in the Free Practice, leading HiTech Pulse-Eight Cian Shields in a rain-hit session.
Esterson completed a lap of 2:00.153 to take top spot, eclipsing Shield’s previous benchmark time by just 0.114s as ART Grand Prix driver Nikola Tsolov ended up third.
With the full wet tyres strapped on as rain continued to fall at Silverstone, MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz was the early pacesetter thanks to his time of 2:02.391.
However, the fastest time continued to change as home favourites Joseph Loake and then Arvid Lindblad went to P1 only for Campos Racing’s Mari Boya to go over a second quicker on a 2:00.873.
Then came Tsolov in his ART car who then eclipsed Boya’s time by 0.323s while his teammate Christian Mansell went up to third, over half a second behind the Bulgarian driver.
With 20 minutes left of practice, the teams brought their cars in and bolted on the slicks for the first time in the day, but just as they did the rain began to fall even harder.
This meant that drivers did not improve on their best times, leaving Esterson fastest ahead of Shields, with Tsolov in third ahead of James Wharton, who has made a good start to his debut weekend with Hitech Pulse-Eight as Boya ended up fifth.
Qualifying-
Hitech Pulse Eight’s Luke Browning took a last gasp pole position at a rain-hampered qualifying in Silverstone ahead of Jenzer Motorsport’s Max Esterson and Trident’s Sami Meguetounif.
The Championship leader left it late on a drying lap with a time of 1:44.992 to take top spot with Esterson following his P1 in practice to go within 0.045s off pole to seal a maiden front row start.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon then set the initial time to beat with a lap of 1:45.475, Alexander Dunne moved up to second, just 0.070s off top spot, while Gabriele Mini settled into third for PREMA Racing.
However, as most of the grid returned to the pitlane looking to strap on a new set of hards, the rain intensified. This left Dino Beganovic at the back after the Swede lost his initial time to a track limits violation, while Championship leader Luke Browning was demoted to P13 by Tim Tramnitz.
But with all looking lost, the drivers ventured out on to the track aiming to do as much learning in mixed conditions before tomorrow’s sprint race.
However, the track began to improve heading into the final minute, with Leonardo Fornaroli going fastest on a 1:45.265. This was bad news for the drivers in the pit lane like Leon and Dunne as the timing screens lit up with purple and green sectors.
Browning then came across the line to complete a lap of 1:44.992 giving him pole position on home soil, as Esterson went second moments later.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Browning, P2: Esterson, P3: Meguetounif, P4: Fornaroli, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Wurz, P7: Mansell, P8: Tsolov, P9: Voisin and P10: Zagazeta.
Pole sitter, Stenshorne tried to cover off Mansell from lights out but the Australian was able to get alongside him into Turn 1 to take the lead. The Hitech driver tried a re-pass into Turn 3 but was left running off the track, giving Tsolov momentum to take second position into Turn 4, making it an ART 1-2.
Dino Beganovic was a spinner at Turn 1 falling from inside the top 10 down to 25th. Kacper Sztuka was an early retirement and was stranded on the circuit which required the Safety Car to neutralise things.
Racing then resumed on lap 5 and Mansell was able to retain the advantage in front. Luke Browning was on the move after his grip penalty left him from starting 15th, going three-wide into Turn 4 to pass Nikita Bedrin and Arvid Lindblad to move into 11th.
With DRS, Tsolov was able to get alongside Mansell into Turn 4 and rounded the Australian on the outside to take the lead on lap 7.
Browning moved himself into the points-paying positions at the expense of Tim Tramnitz, moving down the inside at Turn 3 on lap 10 to secure 10th from the MP driver.
Lap 12, and Fornaroli put a brave move on Bedrin to move up to 14th, passing the AIX Racing driver around the outside of Turn 6.
Lap 16, was a busy one as Montoya looked to make a move on Alex Dunne at Turn 1, but the MP driver resisted the pressure to hold onto the position.
Up further ahead, Mansell got a move at Turn 4 to stick on Tsolov, able to take the lead from his ART teammate and remain ahead. Gabriele Mini got brave and rounded Oliver Goethe on the outside at Turn 6 to secure sixth position.
Contact with Trident’s Sami Meguetounif at the end of the lap for Lindblad left the PREMA Racing rookie with a puncture and dropped him out of the points fight.
On lap 17, the fight for the lead continued with Tsolov getting back through on Mansell at Turn 4, a slow corner exit for the Australian allowed Stenshorne a run through Turn 5, putting the Norwegian up to second.
The fight for the top five places continued just behind the trio but after a heated battle Montoya made contact with Dunne and was left spinning at Turn 4. The Colombian driver out of his car and ok, but the crash required another Safety Car.
The Safety Car was withdrawn with one lap to go, setting up a final lap sprint to the finish. Tsolov got the restart he needed to put some distance between himself and Stenshorne, and the Bulgarian earned his second sprint race victory of the year ahead of the Hitech driver.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Mansell, P4: Dunne, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Tramnitz, P9: Leon and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3-
Browning launched into a clear lead at the first corner while PREMA Racing teammates Lindblad, Mini and Beganovic followed in second through to fourth as Tim Tramnitz dropped down to seventh. Lindblad and Mini battled on the exit of Turn 4 which allowed Beganovic the run into Turn 6 to take third from the Italian.
That became second for the Swede on lap 2, as he dived down the inside of his teammate into Turn 3. Noel Leon was on the move too further back, taking sixth from Sebastian Montoya as he continued his charge from 13th.
Lindblad was dropping through the pack on lap 8 after brief contact with Alex Dunne into Turn 3 as the MP Motorsport driver passed Goethe. Leon, Dunne and Goethe were able to clear the Brit on the run to Turn 4 to relegate the Red Bull Junior Team driver to seventh.
Contact at Turn 3 between Mari Boya in the Campos and AIX Racing’s Nikita Bedrin brought out a Virtual Safety Cat on lap 11 while marshals retrieved the latter’s car.
Back to racing conditions and Goethe was on the attack against Leon for fourth. The slightest of touches resulted in a puncture for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, ending his charge through the pack and tumbling down the order.
10 laps to go, everyone behind leader, Browning had DRS down to ninth-placed Tramnitz as the fight for points ebbed and flowed.
Christian Mansell made his way into sixth position with a pass around the outside of Lindblad at Turn 4 on lap 19. That became fourth for the Australian with five laps to go, diving down the inside of Goethe at Turn 4.
Mini made an attempt on Beganovic for second at Turn 3 on the following lap, but it was Mansell that went surging around the outside of the Italian at the following corner to take third. That was until Mini pulled off his own audacious pass to re-take P3 at Turn 6.
Onto the penultimate lap and the battling behind allowed Browning to break out of DRS range to Beganovic, who was under attack from teammate Mini at Turn 4, with the Alpine Academy driver securing second a Turn 6.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Mini, P3: Beganovic, P4: Mansell, P5: Goethe, P6: Tsolov, P7: Lindblad, P8: Vans Hoepen, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Dunne.
Jenzer Motorsport’s Charlie Wurz ended up quickest of all in the opening session. The Austrian saved his best effort for the final five minutes to go top on a 1:21.182, while Trident’s Santiago Ramos got closest to him, just half a tenth back in second.
Joshua Dufek set the early pace for AIX Racing, though it was beaten shortly afterwards by ART Grand Prix’s Laurens van Hoepen, as he set a 1:22.409 to lead after 10 minutes of running.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon then moved to the top of the timing screens, lowering the fastest effort to a 1:22.387 to narrowly head up the field. Sami Meguetounif then put Trident in P1, going quicker still onto a 1:22.325.
After a minor lock-up on his first flying lap, Luke Browning went quickest of all approaching the halfway stage on a 1:21.781. Teammate Martininius Stenshorne made it a one-two for Hitech Pule Eight.
Fornaroli took back over at the top with 16 minutes to go of the session, lowering the benchmark to a 1:21.663 to lead the way.
After a lull in action, and return to the pits, cars ventured back out onto the circuit with under 10 minutes to go for the final laps.
Charlie Wurz for Jenzer Motorsport was the first to go quickest of all, deposing Fornaroli and then going quicker still, putting in a 1:21.182 to go almost half a second quicker than anyone else.
Santiago Ramos closed the gap down to just 0.054s with under two minutes remaining to go second.
Qualifying-
Luke Browning earned his first pole position in FIA Formula 3, opting to run without a tow on the final runs to take the top spot around the Red Bull Ring.
The Hitech Pulse Eight driver was at the head of the train going into the final few laps and was able to record a 1:20.222 without a slipstream to lead PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad and MP Motorsport driver Tim Tramnitz.
In the opening stages, Noel Leon set the pace before being deposed by Nikola Tsolov, then Oliver Goethe and finally Gabriele Mini, with the PREMA driver’s 1:21.013 the time to beat.
The Van Amersfoort Racing driver repositioned himself in P1 with his next effort, just over a tenth quicker than Mini, before the Alpine Academy driver responded to go quickest by just 0.005s.
A return to the pits and switch to a fresh set of tyres, the field was back out onto the circuit. After trying unsuccessfully to not lead the field across the line to gain a tow, Browning led the line for the final flying laps without a slipstream and set a 1:20.222 for provisional pole.
Lindblad got closest to him, moving into second just 0.048s off that effort, while Tramnitz was another late improvement for MP.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Lindblad, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Mini, P5: Beganovic, P6: Goethe, P7: Van Hoepen, P8: Montoya, P9: Dunne and P10: Tsolov.
Van Hoepen covered off teammate Nikola Tsolov on the run to the first corner, but the Bulgarian driver was able to sweep around the outside to take the lead. Further back, Dino Beganovic suffered damage in the opening exchanges after contact with Santiago Ramos at Turn 1, with the PREMA driver being handed a 10-second time penalty.
After losing the lead from reverse grid pole, Van Hoepen was able to stick with his ART teammate and with DRS, the Dutchman swept back through on lap 4. The battle then continued up the hill with the Bulgarian driver squeezing his way through. Whilst they was battling, it allowed Max Esterson to close back up on the pair.
Christian Mansell had been battling hard with Sami Meguetounif of lap 5, and after initially losing a spot to the Trident driver, the Aussie fought his way through into Turn 1 for seventh.
That allowed Luke Browning the momentum up the hill into Turn 4 to pull of a pass around the outside of them to take P7 himself. However, the move was completed off the track and he earned a 10 second time penalty.
Looking back towards the front, the lead battle became a five-car fight as Lindblad and Fornaroli caught up to Esterson. As the race reached the halfway point, van Hoepen retook the lead with a pass into T1 on Tsolov, once more though, the Bulgarian fought back and through and re-passed his teammate into Turn 8.
On lap 13 and after being tracked closely over several laps by Lindblad, van Hoepen got a little too wide at Turn 11, which opened the door for the Prema driver to take second place.
Lindblad didn’t stop then as he claimed the lead of the race on lap 15, with a DRS pass into the first corner. But Tsolov fought back through immediately, re-taking first on the run up to Turn 4 again. One lap on and the PREMA driver made the move stick into the first turn.
The full top 10 is- P1: Lindblad, P2: Van Hoepen, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Tsolov, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Esterson, P7: Mini, P8: Boya, P9: Goethe and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3, Feature Race-
Dino Beganovic suffered a terrible start from pole, with a slow getaway which left Browning free to surge into the lead. Beganovic baulked the momentum of PREMA Racing teammate Gabriele Mini behind him, allowing Meguetounif to steal a march and rise to second.
Mini’s poor start allowed Mansell and Santiago Ramos in the Trident to move through for fourth and fifth places on the opening lap. The third Trident of Leonardo Fornaroli had dropped to eighth off the line but moved ahead of Nikola Tsolov out of Turn 3 on Lap 3 to move up one spot.
The fighting behind, had allowed Browning to stretch his lead to 1.2s at the one-third mark, though that advantage slipped to half a second after Mansell regained DRS behind. Despite not having the drag reduction advantage, the Hitech driver was able to keep his pursuer at arms length heading into the second half of the race.
With 10 laps to go the top eight drivers were tracking one another, separated by five seconds but within DRS range of the car ahead. A wide moment at Turn 10 for Ramos put him off track, but the Mexican driver was able to keep Mini at bay to hold fifth.
After defending for much of the race, Browning began up to his pace in the closing laps toe extend his lead slowly but surely over Mansell by a few tenths per lap.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Mansell, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Meguetounif, P5: Ramos, P6: Mini, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Lindblad, P9: Dunne and P10: Goethe.
HiTech Pulse-Eight have retained Luke Browning for the 2024 Formula 3 campaign, announcing that the Williams Academy driver will spend his second season in the Championship with them.
2024 will be Browning’s third year in the Hitech fold, having achieved the GB3 Championship title with them in 2022. Earning his promotion to F3 this year, the Brit went on to score one podium finish in the Barcelona Sprint Race, overall he finished 15th in the Standings. Alongside this, Browning stormed to a lights to flag victory in the Macau Grand Prix last month.
Browning’s racing career began in saloon cars in 2019, before joining the British F4 grid in 2019. His follow up season included seven wins, 16 podiums and six pole positions to bring home the title. He then went on to finish third in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship the next year, in addition to three-race appearances in Italian F4 and GB3 Championship.
Completing a full campaign in GB3, Browning was crowned Champion with five victories and 13 podiums to his name. Not only this, he went on to win the BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, completing his prize in an F1 car with Aston Martin and followed that up by earning a spot in the Williams Driver Academy this year.
I am super excited to announce I’ll be joining the grid with Hitech Pulse-Eight for the 2024 Formula 3 season. I have an abundance of faith in the team around me, with the things we learned throughout the season last year I believe we will be able to build on our skills and ability to execute which we showed a glimmer of most recently in Macau. This Championship will never be easy with the standard of drivers but also with just the nature of the Championship. However, having visited all of the tracks we’re going to next year once before, I believe puts us in a great position to score points in every race weekend going forward. I’m super grateful to Williams Racing and Hitech Pulse-Eight for their support going into the new season. Consistently delivering is the goal, and one I look forward to achieving next year.
Browning on the news.
We are delighted to have Luke racing with the team again in his second season of FIA Formula 3. We are confident in his ability to fight for wins and come away with a consistent set of results. Following our win in Macau together last month, we are eager to be fighting upfront from the get-go when the 2024 season commences in February.
Williams Racing has announced that British racer, Luke Browning has joined the team’s Driver Academy.
Following on from the signing of Franco Colapinto earlier this year, Williams have bolstered their Driver Academy by signing the Formula 3 racer.
The 21 year old, is currently racing in F3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight squad and has scored 14 points from the first two round in Bahrain and in Australia.
Browning has been signed after he won the GB3 Championship in 2022, scoring five wins and a further eight podiums while race with Hitech. He also won the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.
His signing means the Williams Driver Academy now consists of five members – four of whom are currently racing in Formula 3.
Browning is set to work on the Williams simulator in Grove throughout the year, taking part in a personalised programme, as well as embedding with the team trackside at select race weekends.
I’m really looking forward to being a part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. A huge thank you to everyone at the team for the opportunity to shoot for the stars. To be welcomed into the family is a dream come true, the heritage of this team is phenomenal. I can’t wait to see where we can go, our journey starts here.
Browning on the signing.
We’re pleased to have Luke join the Driver Academy. He’s a highly talented driver with several major achievements already under his belt, including the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, the 2022 GB3 Championship, and the 2020 British F4 Championship. Everyone at Williams Racing is looking forward to working closely with Luke throughout the year as he competes in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight. He’ll have the opportunity to develop his abilities while providing useful feedback through simulator work at Grove.
NEOM McLaren will field Charlie Eastwood and Luke Browning at the official Rookie Test in Berlin on the 24th April.
Eastwood, from Belfast has built an impressive resume over the past 10 years predominantly in GT and Endurance competition.
During this time, he became the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britian champion, 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup (Pro-Am) champion and won the European Le Mans Series – LMP2 Pro-AM in 2022, as well as the Asian Le Mans Series – LMP2 earlier this year. He has also held several reserve and development driver roles.
I’m absolutely buzzing to drive the GEN3 car at the Berlin Rookie Test. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend some of the races earlier this season, and I really like the championship. I love the complexity of the series, as well as the car itself. I’ve had a taste of it on the simulator and I am sure there will be a lot to learn on the day. I’m super excited and can’t wait to work with the team.
Eastwood on the test.
Luke Browning, from Kingsley in the UK, is the 2022 Autosport BRDC Award winner. Looking at his short career so far, Browning grabbed the F4 British Championship in 2020.
The following year he took part in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship and the Drexler Automotive Formula 4 Cup where he finished 3rd in both. In 2022 the 21 year old took part in the GB3 Championship and ended up winning the Championship.
Now in 2023, he is competing in his first season of FIA Formula 3 Championship where he currently sits 10th after two rounds.
I’m really looking forward to be jumping into the NEOM McLaren Formula E car. I’m grateful for the opportunity to gain some experience in very different machinery than usual. I’ll be looking to pick up as much as I can from the successful and experienced team I will be surrounded by. It will be a different style of driving compared to what I’m used to – I don’t doubt I have a lot to learn, but I’m eager to pick it up as quickly as possible. I’m really looking forward to the 24th!
Browning on the opportunity.
I am happy to be able to host an official rookie test again this season. It is a good way for us as teams to give talent the opportunity to get a taste of the Gen3 machinery, while being able to evaluate them at the same time. Our line-up is an exciting combination of Charlie, who we’ve been working closely together with for a while now, and Luke, who is an emerging talent. It will be great to see both of them out on track. It’s good to see significant interest in the series, from both up-and-coming talent, as well as established drivers.
HiTech Pulse-Eight have confirmed Luke Browning will complete the team’s 2023 line-up. The Brit joins Sebastian Montoya and Gabriele Mini.
He steps up to FIA Formula 3 following a successful season that culminated in his winning of the 2022 GB3 Championship. He claimed five victories on the way to the title as well as winning the BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.
Browning made his racing debut in saloon car racing before moving to British F4 in 2019. His second season in the Championship brought title success, taking six poles, seven wins and 16 podiums in total.
A full GB3 campaign followed in 2022, he claimed the title with Hitech. Moving to FIA F3 with the same team, the 21 year old says that the continuity will help him hit the ground running in Bahrain.
I’m excited to announce I’ll be taking the step up to FIA Formula 3 with Hitech. We had a fantastic season in GB3 last year. These past 12 months I have really developed as a driver with their guidance and professionalism. I am very thankful to the people who continuously believe in me and have made this possible. I am under no illusions how competitive FIA F3 is and stepping into the car for the first time in February will be a steep learning curve before we head to Bahrain. I feel confident with everyone at Hitech that I can hit the ground running!
Browning on his new seat.
We are delighted to welcome Luke to our team in FIA Formula 3. We had a fantastic year with him in GB3, securing the driver’s title with five wins, and we are confident his experience will be of great value to the team.
Jordan's Track Talk 