Williams names Luke Browning for Barcelona and Austria FP1s

Williams confirmed that 24-year-old Luke Browning will run Free Practice 1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya and Austrian Grands Prix as part of his development pathway, taking over from Alex Albon in Spain and Carlos Sainz in Austria. The team designated Browning for two of the mandatory rookie FP1 sessions, which count toward the four compulsory rookie outings under current regulations, and said the back-to-back runs will give him extra exposure to the FW48 and the Formula 1 weekend environment. Williams also described the sessions as opportunities to evaluate Browning’s progress in real-world running. Browning, a Briton in his fourth year with the Williams Driver Academy and appointed Williams reserve driver at the start of 2026, said he felt fit and ready after moving to Super Formula with Team Kondo and that simulator work had kept him race-fit and helped him understand the car’s development direction. He finished fourth in the 2025 Formula 2 championship with nine podiums, including a Feature Race win at Monza, and has prior FP1 and young-driver test experience from 2024 and 2025. Browning called the FP1 appearances an audition, said he was eager to get seat time and thanked Williams for the opportunity and support. Team figures framed the outings as an important step in Browning’s pathway toward a potential race seat, with Sporting Director Sven Smeets praising his simulator work and on-track performances. Browning praised Williams’ off-track strengths, including its garage position next to Ferrari, historical development work and marketing, and expressed confidence in team leadership and prospects for improvement by the end of the year after a difficult start caused by an overweight FW48 chassis and regulation changes. The Spanish and Austrian FP1 runs will be Browning’s first sessions in the new-regulation cars and will take place during a break in his Super Formula schedule.