Report: Luke Gets to Work in Mexico FP1
A productive practice session in Mexico saw Luke gather valuable data while gaining more experience in Formula 1 machinery
Published
02 NOV 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
Luke Browning was back behind the wheel of the FW48 on Friday morning, taking part in Free Practice 1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix for his third FP1 appearance of the 2026 season.
One of 10 rookie drivers participating in the session, Luke completed 32 laps across two tyre compounds, finishing P20 with a best time of 1:20.869.
Building the mileage
Luke headed out as soon as the pit lane opened, beginning his morning on the hard compound as he worked through the team's planned programme.
He steadily improved his lap times throughout the opening stint, setting a 1:22.119 before the team reporting over the radio that things were “going well so far”.
There was even more to come from the hard tyres. Despite having already completed more than 10 laps on the set, Luke asked the team: “Can I do another lap please?” He duly delivered, setting a quicker time of 1:21.948 on tyres that had completed 12 or 13 laps.
After 14 laps on the hard compound, Luke returned to the garage before heading back out on mediums with just under 30 minutes remaining.
Valuable data for Grove
The medium tyre running brought further improvements, with Luke lowering his benchmark to 1:20.869 across his first few push laps.
His programme then shifted towards longer running, with the team gathering further information before the session came to a close. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Jak Crawford stopped on track, but Luke was already scheduled to return to the pits.
He headed back out for the final part of the session on the same set of medium tyres, completing another 18 laps to bring his total to 32 for the morning.
While his final position was P20, the focus was firmly on completing the planned work and collecting useful information rather than chasing a headline lap time.
Looking ahead to Brazil
Reflecting on the session, Luke was pleased with the work completed and the opportunity to contribute to the team's development.
“It was great fun out there today - we did some good data gathering to bring back to Grove. It was a difficult session, as the resurfaced track was super dusty, but there were no major mistakes from my side.
“I'm just happy to have ticked off all my test items, including some good aero work giving the team more data to build on. It's a great privilege to be trusted with all four of the team's FP1 rookie sessions and to continue to be supported by Williams' Driver Academy.
“I'm looking forward to my next FP1 outing in Brazil next week, where I'll continue to learn, develop and help push the team forward.”
Luke will be back in the FW48 next weekend at the São Paulo Grand Prix, where he will take over Carlos Sainz's car for his fourth and final rookie FP1 session of the season.
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