‘I believe that I’m now ready’ – How F2 racer Browning is hoping to graduate to F1 with top honours

“Going into Formula 2, I wanted to study what this championship needs in order to get the most out of it and to achieve the most amount of points to win, that’s the end goal.

“That’s how my brain works generally. I think anyone that knows me knows that I’m quite a complex character. I can be aggressive, I can be chilled out. I can be calculated or impulsive. So depending on the circumstances, I’ll adapt who I am.”

It’s a methodical approach that has paid dividends so far for Luke Browning as the Hitech TGR Formula 2 driver is one of several title-contending rookies impressing this season heading into his home event at Silverstone this weekend.

The Williams Racing Development talent led the Drivers’ Championship earlier in the campaign, and currently lies fifth in the standings, just 31 points behind leader Richard Verschoor at the halfway point.

The revamped approach towards a title fight in the junior category has brought about strong results, with Browning claiming five podiums in the campaign so far. After coming up short in F3 last season, eventually finishing third overall with Hitech, Browning hopes 2025 will finally be the year things go his way.

“I think the issue for me last year was that I probably didn’t approach things with that mentality. I approached it wanting all the glory, as many wins as possible, double podiums, pole when I’m already leading the championship.

“This year, I’m okay with a top six or a top seven, just to get points in both races and move on.

"I think last year I’d have gone ‘right, let’s keep the momentum going, I want to be on pole here because the car was last year’. So that’s probably the biggest change in terms of mindset.”

Following in the wake of F1 rookies

Browning is aiming to follow in the footsteps of a stellar rookie class that graduated onto the 2025 Formula 1 grid.

Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and 2024 F2 Champion Gabriel Bortoleto have each had their moments to shine already this season in F1, and Browning is eager to emulate the examples left by each of them.

The Hitech driver feels that he has what it takes to show he’s ready for the step up to the highest level. For that to happen, however, he understands that strong results in F2 are the foundation to those aspirations.

“I’m happy for all of those guys, I really am. I think each of them that have moved up really deserve it,” said Browning. “I did Macau with Isack, and I raced a couple of years with Gabi, but I also spend a lot of time online with him sim racing, and these guys are all super talented.

“I obviously raced Ollie back in Formula 3, so to see these guys that I’ve raced with go and do it and be up there in Formula 1, it’s fantastic.

“You look at the results and see Bortoleto beating Hulkenberg in his first Qualifying of the year. Hadjar’s got nearly more points combined than his two team mates in different cars. It shows what the new generation can do it if they’re given the right opportunity.

“I believe that I’m now ready to have that opportunity and to make that jump. The thought makes me even more motivated. That goal is always there, but being honest, the focus is Formula 2 and I think I really need to do a good job this year and then come December, we can have a good result.

“That’s when I can start thinking about opportunities. I just want to do the absolute best job that I can and really nail it.”

Browning took part in Free Practice 1 for the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this season, his second appearance on a Grand Prix weekend with Williams after filling the same role in Abu Dhabi last year.

He finished the Bahrain session as the highest-placed rookie, and while run plans and fuel loads can’t be accounted for, it was important momentum for his season.

With his impressive results so far in F2, the spotlight is beginning to shine a little brighter on him. Browning says it’s something he feels ready to cope with, even if there remain a few ‘pinch me’ moments along the way.

“I was just over at Williams actually before this interview. It’s really funny - I had my first interview with Anthony Davidson on the Sky Pad at the Williams motorhome, and it was quite surreal,” said Browning.

“It’s funny because you watch all of this from such a young age and then you’re there doing it yourself. It’s funny how these things work out, but when you do these kinds of results, the bigger things start to follow, and at the moment, we’re doing the job.”

F2 title bid

Browning’s junior career has largely been spent in Hitech colours, and he’s claimed multiple titles with the British outfit along the way, including the GB3 and British F4 championships in 2022 and 2020.

With Formula 1 teams looking to rookie talent more regularly and his current form putting him firmly in title contention, there’s just one accolade left to achieve, and Browning says this is his best chance to do it.

“I love Hitech, there’s no one I want to win with more in the paddock. These guys deserve it, and it’s been a long time coming. I hope that we keep going with our processes, and that I can give them a good result at the end of the year. It would be a really nice way to end my junior career,” he said.

“The goal is to win the championship. If it’s going to be enough - I can only tell you at the end of the year, but I’ve never been more motivated to do the prep, to really approach this so thoroughly and I feel comfortable and confident with the people I’ve got around me.

“I don’t feel like I can be knocked down, so if we can continue like that, it will be a good result at the end of the year. But we’ve got to do our absolute best and continue with this process we’ve got. So let’s see. I believe it will be enough, but equally, we’ve still got to execute on that.”