Williams confirmed Browning as its third driver for the upcoming campaign, with the Briton combining race weekend stand-by duties with simulator and development work as F1 enters a new regulations era.
Alongside his F1 commitments, Browning will race for Team Kondo Racing in Super Formula, widely regarded as the fastest single-seater category outside F1.
The promotion follows a strong 2025 Formula 2 campaign, where Browning finished fourth overall in his first full season in the category.
Racing with Hitech GP, he claimed a feature race victory in Italy from pole position and amassed nine podiums across the year.
In preparation for the role, Browning has already completed multiple FP1 appearances in Williams machinery and taken part in the team’s Testing of Previous Cars programme, helping embed him within the race engineering group ahead of his expanded responsibilities in 2026.
“I’m incredibly excited to be stepping up as Reserve Driver with Atlassian Williams F1 Team this year,” Browning said.
“The Academy has been instrumental in my growth, supporting me through both Formula 3 and Formula 2 while giving me the chance to get up to speed with modern F1 machinery through testing and FP1 sessions.
“I look forward to working alongside Alex and Carlos to drive the team forward in this new era for Formula 1.
“I’m also happy to confirm that 2026 will be my rookie season in Super Formula. This will be a completely new challenge, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in!
“As my next step up towards a full-time Formula 1 seat, this gives me another chance to show how I’ve developed on track and continue to build my skills in a new environment and culture.”
Browning joined the Williams Driver Academy in 2023 and has progressed steadily through the junior ranks, having previously won the Autosport BRDC Award, the Macau Grand Prix, the British F4 title and the GB3 Championship.
It is the first time Williams have had a designated reserve driver since Jack Aitken in 2022, having relied on Mercedes’ backups over the past three seasons.
Williams team principal James Vowles said Browning’s growth within the Academy made him a natural fit for the reserve role.
“It’s a proud moment to see Luke stepping into the Reserve Driver role from 2026,” Vowles said.
“He has made immense progress since he joined the Academy in 2023 and has supported the team’s journey back towards the front of the grid through his involvement in simulator and FP1 work, which has been invaluable as we enter this new era of regulations.
“His Super Formula campaign will allow him to gain more on-track experience and continue his growth as a driver, and we look forward to seeing him back on track as he enters this next stage of his racing career.”
Browning’s announcement comes alongside confirmation of Williams’ expanded Driver Academy line-up for 2026, which includes Alessandro Giusti in Formula 3, Jade Jacquet in F1 Academy, Kean Nakamura-Berta in Formula Regional competition, Oleksandr Bondarev in Italian Formula 4, and karting prospects Dean Hoogendoorn, Will Green and Lucas Palacio.
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