Luke Browning has told Motorsport Week that he is revelling in the “amazing” process of growing within the Williams Driver Academy, as he seeks to obtain a Formula 1 seat in the near future.
The British youngster has been under the wing of Williams for two years, and this year has seen him demonstrate his ability amid a flurry of impressive drives in the Formula 2 championship.
Unfortunately, his desire to “nail” the title came to an end in Qatar last week, with Leonardo Fornaroli – now in a similar position in McLaren’s Young Driver Programme – taking the glory.
But it has been a barnstorming year for Browning regardless, and is appearing to be seated in the best possible position with his education placed under Williams’ responsibility.
One of the perks that comes along with being a Williams Academy driver is the invaluable experience gained from working alongside an established and renowned Team Principal in the
F1 paddock such as James Vowles. For Browning however, being part of the Williams team on a different level vs competing as an actual F1 driver feels different and more supportive overall.
“I mean, obviously, in racing, I think it’s different in the team compared to outside the team, because in racing, as if you just take it as a general it’s cut throat,” he said to Motorsport Week in an exclusive interview.. “You know, everyone wants a seat there’s only 20 seats in the championship, or 22 for next year. And yeah, everyone wants to drive. And that competitiveness comes into it again. But in the team, it’s just fantastic.
“They’re just trying to push me forward. And yeah, get the best out of me. So James has been fantastic, alongside padel, becoming padel partners now,he’s helping me a lot with the racing side he said.”
In addition to having a strong support system at Williams, Browning reveals a unique quality of Vowles’s leadership that has helped put him on the right path to grow as a driver. “It’s been good,” he said. “I think James says this, you know, Williams don’t sell cars. Williams don’t do any of that. Williams are a racing team, and what that means is optimising, not only young drivers, but also what it’s like to be on circuit and taking us through that path to winning World Championship. And James is putting us on that and trying to throw me and the team to the top, and just being a part of that process is amazing.
“The biggest thing is just being able to have an impact on the team. Being a team is fantastic. And every little bit that I can do to help, although at the moment it’s not loads on the simulator back in the fact check and help with the starting setup or do some pre-event race prep, which is great. But equally, I’m not the one. That’s turning the wheel and and doing the lap and qualifying. So, yeah, it’s nice to just be a part of the team and watch you grow.”
Browning: Williams ‘not lacking anything’ as it shifts towards the right end of the F1 grid again
As Browning’s racing career has grown under the Williams team, so has the legendary based Grove-based squad under Vowles. And while Browning first joined the Williams
Academy driver program in 2023, he has also been part of witnessing and experiencing the transformation of the Williams team over the past couple years. Browning candidly spoke on behalf of the recent success at Williams 2025 season, which has included two podiums from Carlos Sainz, the second in Qatar securing fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
“Obviously, I’ve been in it since 2023 now. So, yeah, it’s really interesting to see. 2023 was a tough year, and the previous years before that, Williams were probably the darkest times.”
Browning admitted. “But I really feel like it’s coming back now to form. And I think you go around the paddock, speak to anyone, we’re starting to see more blue caps everywhere, which I think at one point were we’re not so frequent.
“And yeah, I feel like Williams are getting support, and everyone’s getting behind the underdog story of we can, we can do this. And yeah, we’re not lacking anything.”
In addition to playing a role in Williams transformation that has led to an improved performance on track this season, Browning also recognises how he has changed as a driver from experiencing pure excitement from participating in FP1 sessions in an F1 car, to feeling ready for the next steps to take to land a seat in the pinnacle of racing. When asked what he looks
forward to the most while driving the FW47 this season during FP1 sessions, Browning acknowledged how different he feels about it now.
“You know, what? It’s a different feeling for me now, the first time in Bahrain, maybe Abu Dhabi, I was super excited to get out in the car. You know?” he said. “Now I’m I’ve been TBC testing, so I’ve done a lot in Formula 1 car now, and I’m at the end of the Formula 2 championship, and the next natural step for me feels like Formula 1, so getting in and around the team, it doesn’t feel exciting. It feels I feel like I’m ready, and I’m ready to perform.
“So yeah, whatever gets thrown at me now, whether it’s the media side or if it’s the driving, I’m ready to just try my best and see if it’s good enough.”
Browning to ‘enjoy doing what I’m doing’
Whilst F2 drivers often get to share a paddock with F1 drivers when their schedules coordinate, Browning also gets a front row seat to witness these world class racers compete on track who also inspire him in his racing career.
“I think I take stuff from different people, and you see different. I’ve been watching the sport for such a long time, you see different people come through the sport and attack it differently. But if I just look at sort of my era, you look at what Max [Verstappen] is doing and where he’s coming from, and how he’s able to execute with that car.
“And you look at, say, for example, Oscar Piastri, his mentality is probably envied by a lot of the drivers who come down the grid. Being able to stay that stay that calm and not have not be too excitable and not make rash decisions I think is something I respect about him. It’s a lot of stuff. I think Carlos’ raw pace is fantastic.”
And Browning lets it soak in as he tries to take in as much as he can and learns from the best. “And Alex’ [Albon] ability to get points out of the championship has been fantastic this year too. So yeah, every driver has their strengths, and I’m just trying to take a little bit and learn from everyone” he said.
Despite Browning now being out of F2 title contention, he remains locked in on getting a F1 seat as soon as he can. However, besides his inestimable time with Williams, Browning has also caught the attention and praise of Sauber F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto who recently said that the Williams Academy driver was talented and had a great future during a media session at the Mexico Grand Prix.
“Well, definitely I will be looking at Luke Browning,” he said. “I think he’s very talented. I think he’s doing an amazing season in F2 and I think he will be great in the future if he keeps doing a good job like he’s doing, and I think he has been doing a lot of testing, private testing, with Williams, and I think he can do a good job tomorrow and have a successful F1 career.”
And when it comes to feeling more motivated or any added pressure to live up to the words and praise from good friend and 2024 F2 champion Bortoleto, Browning claims it only helps him feel more confident in himself.
“I mean, I guess it’s already happening, if the words being said, right? So, yeah, I guess it’s just continuing to do, to do what I do,” he said. “And I think it just, all it does is just build, bring more confidence myself having the ability to just continue to execute and just enjoy. You know, I think that’s the main thing I learned this year was just to enjoy doing what I’m doing, have confidence in what I’m doing, and then hopefully it’ll be enough to get a seat one day.”
As Browning wraps up his F2 season this weekend Abu Dhabi, he is keeping his options open to different motorsports series but will remain focused on securing an F1 seat.
READ MORE – Exclusive: Williams junior Luke Browning focused on ‘nailing’ F2 title
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