Luke makes Formula 1 debut at Silverstone

Rising star Luke Browning has realised a dream after making his debut in a Formula 1 car at Silverstone.

Luke was given the chance to sample the Aston Martin AMR21 as raced by Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll during the 2021 season as part of his prize for winning the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year twelve months ago.

The 21-year-old was given the opportunity to conduct a number of runs across the day on the various compounds of Pirelli tyres as he added an F1 outing to his resume, having sampled Formula E machinery for the first time earlier this year.

“It was like a dream come true,” he said. “It was just as fast as anyone might think it could be, and the power, the brakes, and high-speed downforce is just incredible. 

“It’s a day I’ll always remember, and I have to say I’m just so grateful to the BRDC, to Derek [Warwick], to Autosport, Aston Martin and to everyone involved who makes this possible for young racing drivers. It’s the biggest prize for a youngster coming up and I’m very grateful. I’m just lost for words.

“Even last week, I was thinking it was coming up pretty quickly, and I couldn’t really believe it was going to happen. It only sank in when I walked into the garage, saw everything set up, and there was an F1 car sat there. You just can’t quite believe it’s your seat, and it’s got your name on the halo. It’s an absolute dream, so I’m just very, very thankful.

“My goal for the day was to go flat through Copse. I knew not many people take it flat on the data, and I went to bed last night thinking ‘Copse, I want to take it flat.’ I went out for the first time on new tyres and bam, I committed, and the grip was there, and it was available. 

“I achieved my goals and everyone at Aston Martin was super complimentary. I’m very grateful for the support and they were so welcoming, so for that I’m really grateful.”

Fresh from the F1 outing, Luke can now look ahead to his debut in the infamous Macau Grand Prix after being named on the entry list for the event, which returns as an international F3 race for the first time since the pandemic.

Luke will race for the same Hitech Pulse-Eight team that was behind his FIA F3 programme this season, with F2 racer Isack Hadjar as one of his two team-mates.

The event will run on 18-19 November.