Luke Browning to take Sainz’s Williams for FP1 run in Austin
Williams is handing Luke Browning another taste of Friday action, with the British youngster stepping into Carlos Sainz’s FW47 for first practice at the United States Grand Prix.
It’s a sensible call from Grove. Browning, 23, is in the thick of his rookie Formula 2 campaign and arrives in Austin sitting third in the standings, 19 points down on leader Leonardo Fornaroli with only Qatar and Abu Dhabi to go. His form turned a corner at Monza, where he finally bagged that first win of the season, and Williams has been happy to keep the mileage coming.
This won’t be Browning’s first rodeo at the top level, either. He made his FP1 debut with Williams in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2024, then returned in Bahrain at the start of this year in Sainz’s car again. In between, he’s been a regular at the factory, racking up simulator hours and running a comprehensive Testing of Previous Car program in Williams’ 2023 machine. In other words: he’s prepared.
“I’m hugely grateful to be given another chance,” Browning said ahead of the weekend. “I’ve worked hard to make the most of it and to help the team plan for the race.” You get the sense he knows exactly what his job is on Friday: keep it clean, tick off aero runs, bring back useful numbers, and show a bit of that Monza sharpness when the window opens.
Williams sporting director Sven Smeets has been impressed by the trajectory. The team’s read is that Browning’s pace has held up across different circuits and conditions in F2, and that his behind-the-scenes work has made him an easy plug-and-play option when the team looks to split duties in FP1. It’s continuity, and it’s low-risk.
Why Sainz’s car again? In short, it’s a balance call. Alex Albon and Sainz have both shouldered the heavy lifting this season as Williams pushes for best-of-the-rest in the midfield, but Sainz’s side of the garage can spare the hour without compromising race prep. The Spaniard is in solid form, and the team trusts the feedback loop.
That loop has delivered. Sainz, who arrived from Ferrari for 2025, handed Williams its first podium since the rain-shortened 2021 Belgian Grand Prix by finishing third in Baku last month. It was a landmark result for a team that’s quietly rebuilt its confidence. The scoreboard still tilts Albon’s way — he leads Sainz by 38 points with six rounds to go — but the bigger picture is brighter still: Williams holds a 30-point cushion over Racing Bulls in the fight for fifth in the Constructors’ standings. That would be the team’s best finish since 2017.
As for Austin, FP1 is typically a grind: the Circuit of the Americas is bumpy, fast, and punishing if you miss your marks. Expect Browning’s run plan to skew toward correlation work — aero rakes early, medium-fuel balance checks later — while the race drivers pick up their qualifying sims in FP2. The brief for a rookie is straightforward and unforgiving: no mistakes, sensible tyre management, and a steady hand through the high-speed esses.
There’s also a subtle upside for Williams in putting its academy driver in front of the cameras on a big weekend. Browning’s F2 campaign has put him on plenty of shortlists, and the team is happy to show the pipeline is moving. Whether this is simply seat time or the start of something more will play out over the winter, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s already comfortable in Williams kit and language.
For Sainz, the trade-off is simple: sit out the first hour, strap back in for FP2, and keep leaning on the momentum that brought that Baku podium. For Browning, it’s another step, another circuit learned at F1 speeds, and another opportunity to show Williams why they keep calling his number.
We’ll see how much the stopwatch says on Friday, but the homework is clear. Keep it tidy, bring back data, and make sure the blue car is exactly where it needs to be by nightfall. That’s the job. And it’s one Luke Browning looks ready to do.
