Williams have announced that Luke Browning will drive for the team in Free Practice One in Mexico and Brazil.
The double FP1 outings mean that Browning will complete his four mandatory rookie FP1 runs for this season, with the Brit filling in for Alex Albon in Mexico on 30 October, then driving Carlos Sainz’s car in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 6 November.
Browning has said that he is “happy” to receive two more FP1 outings and is “grateful” that Williams have entrusted him to complete their four rookie FP1 sessions this season, despite sharing reserve duties with Victor Martins amidst his Super Formula campaign where he sits 13th overall.
“I’m happy to be back in the FW48 and grateful to be trusted by Atlassian Williams F1 Team with all four of the team’s rookie FP1 sessions this year.
“It’s a great opportunity to get more laps in the car, while building my understanding of the new package and bringing useful data and feedback back to Grove. Each session teaches you something new, and I will take every bit of learning I can from this to help keep pushing my development and the team forward.”
Williams Academy Sporting Director, Sven Smeets added that Browning has proven himself on and off the track and these FP1 runs is about consistency.
“Luke continues to prove himself as a valuable part of the team, both through his simulator work and his performances on track. Giving him the chance to get behind the wheel of the FW48 across two race weekends is an important step in his development and a natural progression.
“It’s valuable for us to have consistency in the driver across all four of our rookie test sessions, as it allows us to improve the correlation between the data we gather on track and our simulator work.
“We have a talented group of young drivers in the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy, and we’re pleased to continue providing opportunities like this to support their progression and development.”