Luke Browning was in the points once again as the ART Grand Prix driver put in an assured climb through the order to P7 in the final Sprint Race of the season.

The Williams Racing Driver Academy member started from 17th on the grid after a tricky Qualifying session in which he says he and the team lacked confidence.

However, the rebound in the Sprint was a huge positive in just his third F2 weekend, keeping himself out of trouble at the start and managing the Pirelli tyres to secure points.

“Today was fantastic. Honestly, the last two weekends have been really tough. Baku, the adaptation initially to the Formula 2 car was fantastic, the first run in quali, I think we were P6 and then we had a great race and grabbed some points, finishing at P7 in the Feature.

“The last two races had just been really tough, global issues, struggling with what's going on, a little bit confused at times, but I think we just got our head around it now. I'm looking forward going into tomorrow, let's see what we can do in the Feature Race.

“I really felt confident in the race today. Qualifying was an absolute nightmare, but it’s all looking positive for the Feature.”

Expanding on why the team had struggled so much on Friday, Browning says that it was tough to find speed in the car, but they did well to rebound and come back in the Sprint for points.

Browning is expecting a tough Feature Race but feels confident after racing into the points on Saturday
Browning is expecting a tough Feature Race but feels confident after racing into the points on Saturday

“We were just struggling with drivability, generally struggling with pace, it was a little bit confusing for everyone. I think not only me, but the team, so yeah, we seem to be on top of it now.”

Tyre wear was crucial in the shorter Sprint event despite the lack of pitstops, and the ART driver says that he was very happy with the pace while managing and fighting with rivals.

After what he described as a “rocket ship” start, the Williams junior says he felt at home and could bring it to the end for hard-earned points.

“It’s tough. F2 is not easy, but I think the majority of the work was done in the early laps - positioning on the opening lap and my start was like a rocket ship. I think it might have been one of the best starts on the grid, and I jumped up next to Ollie and then we got squeezed together but didn't have any issues off the start.

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“Then I just brought it home really, that was it. The race was pretty simple after that, just trying to stay in the DRS and the manage the tyres.

“It was quite a hot here, so actually I would say today was probably more physically tough than Qatar, which was I think was a surprise for everyone. It was just the heat, the heat in the cockpit was quite warm today and then we can only expect the same tomorrow I guess.”

With one final race on the agenda for 2024, Browning says he’s feeling positive about his and the team’s chances of a final hurrah, but expects everyone else to be quicker after digesting the data overnight.

“Let's see how we go. I think there'll be more opportunities. Everyone will take a step forward after having the experience in the first race, so hopefully our step's bigger than everyone else's.”