(Motorsport-Total.com) – Williams will once again put its young driver Luke Browning behind the wheel during the practice session for the Formula 1 race in Monza, fulfilling the next part of its commitment to give a rookie driving time. Each team must do this twice per car during the season (see overview of Friday drivers 2026).
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For Browning, who will replace Alexander Albon in the first practice, this is already his third outing in the FW48 this year after Spielberg and Barcelona, although he was unable to complete a single lap in Barcelona due to technical problems.
Williams itself therefore states that Browning is getting his second outing this year and fulfilling only the second of four rookie test sessions.
| Team | Main driver | Friday driver | Grand Prix |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Lando Norris | Leonardo Fornaroli | Barcelona |
| Oscar Piastri | Leonardo Fornaroli | Hungary | |
| Mercedes | George Russell | ||
| Kimi Antonelli | Frederik Vesti | Barcelona | |
| Frederik Vesti | Hungary | ||
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen | ||
| Liam Lawson | Ayumu Iwasa | Barcelona | |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | Dino Beganovic | Austria |
| Lewis Hamilton | Dino Beganovic | Barcelona | |
| Williams | Alexander Albon | Luke Browning | Barcelona |
| Luke Browning | Italy | ||
| Carlos Sainz | Luke Browning | Austria | |
| Racing Bulls | Yuki Tsunoda | Ayumu Iwasa | Austria |
| Arvid Lindblad | – | – | |
| – | – | ||
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | Jak Crawford | Japan |
| Jak Crawford | Belgium | ||
| Lance Stroll | Jak Crawford | Austria | |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon | Ryo Hirakawa | Austria |
| Oliver Bearman | Ryo Hirakawa | Hungary | |
| Audi | Nico Hülkenberg | Paul Aron | Barcelona |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | Paul Aron | Austria | |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly | ||
| Franco Colapinto | Paul Aron | Hungary | |
| Cadillac | Sergio Perez | Colton Herta | Barcelona |
| Colton Herta | |||
| Valtteri Bottas | Colton Herta | Hungary | |
| Colton Herta |
At the Red Bull Ring, Browning then sat behind the wheel of the FW48 for the first time during a full practice session under the new technical regulations and gained valuable track experience with the new generation of cars.
The knowledge gained there is of central importance as it directly feeds into his simulator work and, alongside his role as a reserve driver at the track, supports the team’s progress behind the scenes.
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“I am happy to get another chance to drive an FP1 session for Williams,” says the 24-year-old. “It is a fantastic opportunity to collect invaluable laps in the FW48, deepen my understanding of the car, and provide useful data and feedback to the factory in Grove.”
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“Every session takes you further, and I want to absorb every detail to push myself and the team forward. This weekend is mainly about helping Williams get the maximum result here in Monza,” says Browning.
Browning was allowed to participate in a rookie training for the first time at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi and since then – with one exception – has been the only choice of the racing team for a Friday driver. Only in Barcelona 2025 was another driver, Victor Martins, allowed to get into the car.
In addition to his duties as a reserve driver for Williams, Browning is competing in the Japanese Super Formula series in 2026 but is currently only twelfth overall after four of six race weekends.
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