Luke named as latest Williams Racing Driver Academy member

Rising star Luke Browning has signed the biggest deal of his racing career to date after being named as the latest member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.

The 21-year-old Kingsley-based racer has signed up to join the Driver Academy on the back of a stunning 2022 season, in which he secured the GB3 Championship title with Hitech GP before being named as the winner of the Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year.

That success resulted in Luke earning the chance to move up into the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Hitech Pulse-Eight where he currently sits in tenth spot – scoring a best finish of fifth in race two in Bahrain after an impressive run through from 17th on the grid.

As part of his new Driver Academy role, Luke will work closely with the Williams Racing team to develop his talents through a personalised simulator program at the factory in Grove, whilst there will be various opportunities to spend time with the team trackside during Grands Prix throughout the year.

Luke will bid to follow in the footsteps of drivers including Lance Stroll, Nicolas Latifi and Logan Sargeant – all of were members of the Driver Academy before graduating into F1 race seats.

Luke Browning said:
“I’m really looking forward to being a part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. A huge thank you to everyone at Williams Racing for the opportunity to shoot for the stars. To be welcomed into the family is a dream come true, the heritage of this team is phenomenal. I can’t wait to see where we can go, our journey starts here.”

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director Williams Racing, said:
“We’re pleased to have Luke join the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He’s a highly talented driver with several major achievements already under his belt, including the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, the 2022 GB3 Championship and the 2020 British F4 Championship.

“Everyone at Williams Racing is looking forward to working closely with Luke throughout the year as he competes in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight. He’ll have the opportunity to develop his abilities while providing useful feedback through simulator work at Grove.”