The 24-year-old suffered a terrifying high-speed accident at the iconic 130R corner on a rain-soaked opening day of pre-season running in Japan.
His Kondo Racing car aquaplaned before spearing into the barriers, digging into the gravel and launching into a somersault over the wall and Armco barrier.
The Dallara-Toyota eventually came to rest upside down beyond the barrier, prompting immediate concern trackside.
Marshals assisted Browning from the cockpit, thankfully unharmed.
“It was a bit of an unfortunate crash,” Browning told reporters.
“I just aquaplaned and then I was just a passenger. In hindsight, it would have been better to pit when the rain started to come down harder.
Secure your spot today.
“These are lessons you learn; it’s all about learning over here, and today was a lesson that I’ll take forward in my career.
“I’m completely fine, no pain. Luckily, I landed on the hay and didn’t hit the barriers, so all good.
“The HANS device is fantastic. It saved my neck, I would have thought.”
SF鈴鹿テストでルーク・ブラウニングがショッキングなクラッシュ
130Rでスピンし、バリアの向こう側までマシンが飛んでいってしまいましたが、ブラウニングはマシンを降りて歩いている姿が確認されています#SFormula pic.twitter.com/gEW8du3UqP
— Motorsport.com日本版 (@MotorsportJP) February 25, 2026
The incident comes as Browning balances his Super Formula program with his role as reserve driver for Williams in 2026.
He will serve as a back-up to Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz while continuing simulator and development duties.
Browning earned the reserve promotion following a standout 2025 Formula 2 campaign in which he finished fourth overall, claiming a feature race victory at Monza and multiple podiums across the season.
Browning was fourth in the morning session. Igor Fraga set the pace for Nakajima Racing ahead of Kakunoshin Ohta and Ren Sato.
In the afternoon, the track improved slightly. Sato topped the session ahead of Tadasuke Makino, Fraga, Nirei Fukuzumi, and Browning.
“It’s going better than we thought, to be honest,” said Browning.
“We know it’s going to be difficult, the standard is super-high. Wet conditions have always been a strength of mine, and I think I showed that again.
“And considering the lap was done without the use of OTS (overtake system), we look like we’re fast.
“Maybe in the dry we still have to do a bit more development, but I really want to show this team can be fast, so let’s see.”
Issues in the morning session limited Kalle Rovanpera to just eight laps. He was last in that session but improved to 19th in the afternoon.
Testing at Suzuka continues on Thursday. The first round of the season takes place at Motegi on April 4-5.
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