Luke Browning on title contention, setbacks and a fresh approach for 2025

17 June 2025

Another season with Hitech TGR and Luke Browning is once again contending for a Championship. Currently fifth in the standings after Barcelona, the Briton is just 14 points adrift from top spot, a position he’d held himself going into Round 6.

While his weekend in Spain didn’t go according to plan, 2025 has been close to the script he’d envisaged pre-season stepping up to Formula 2 full-time.

He sat down to reflect on the campaign so far, detailing why a revamped approach is paying off and gave his assessment on an intriguing title fight to date.

“The Championship is very tight. I think the main thing to take into account is that we’re only six rounds in,” Browning explained. “We’re in a really good place, doing a good job but equally, not getting too caught up in that fact.

“I think it’s important to stay consistent, that’s the key. The way this Championship swings back and forth - it’s just so close. We’ll keep approaching it with the same mentality that we have been, and then we’ll just see where it is in the end.”

Browning had led the way prior to his worst-scoring weekend to date in 2025, having achieved top 10 finishes in every single race prior to the Barcelona Feature.

Consistency has Browning in contention for the F2 Drivers' title in 2025

P20 on Sunday and scoring finishes for rivals meant he dropped to fifth in the Standings, and into a position he’d rather not be in. However, he remains relaxed about his approach and overall position in the bigger picture, with just over half of the season still to go.

“I love being chased rather than chasing. I think last year, I drove at my best when I got into a position where I felt comfortable and I’m just approaching it that way now.

"I love the feeling of going out and having just one lap to get it right"

“I’m not feeling like I have to push massively hard just to be up there. I can relax going into Qualifying. There’s something about qualifying in this car that I just love the feeling of.

“I love the grip I have underneath me and I love the feeling of going out and having just one lap to get it right. I feel more comfortable and lean into that rather than any pressure it might bring.”

While Browning will of course be aiming to be at the top of the standings come the chequered flag of the Yas Marina Feature Race, his route to get there isn’t the same as in previous years.

A step back and reassessment of what works best for him both on and off the track has led to a new level of confidence in himself and his team.

“Whether it’s just pure luck or if it’s the right positioning and actually just taking fewer risks and maybe taking some more calculated ones, it’s the points that matter. I think that’s probably the biggest difference between last year and this one.

The Williams junior driver says he feels much more comfortable and consistent than he did in Formula 3

“It wasn’t as aligned as it has been this year. I think last year I struggled with an injury throughout the year that to be honest, hindered me quite a lot. We managed that the best we could.

“I’ve never felt as comfortable before in a team, or maybe I have, but I just think that the mindset and the approach that we have this year is the right one for the Championship, and it’s paying off.”

“There’s a lot of different factors at play – my nutrition, the team I’ve got around me, the support network, it’s all connected. I had a new trainer last year, whereas this year it’s our second year working together, so we feel comfortable now.

"I got off the podium in Melbourne and I wasn’t elated, I just thought that’s where we should be"

“I’ve got the same engineer I had in Formula 3 going into a new wider engineering team in Formula 2. So that was similar, and he can relay the feedback that I have in a way that’s understandable from years of experience to the Formula 2 team. So it’s all very cohesive.”

Those changes have also impacted an adjustment in mindset about results and what it will take to clinch that elusive title, after the Formula 3 crown got away from him in the final races of 2024.

The Williams Racing Development Driver says that consistent point-scoring results are the focus currently, but that his mindset is likely to change if he’s in the hunt in the final stages of the 2025 campaign.

It’s all about maximising scoring opportunities until then and not forcing any half chances according to the Hitech talent.

“If you look at the standard of the team that I’m in and the preparation that I’ve had, I think you’d say that the results have been pretty normal. I got off the podium in Melbourne and I wasn’t elated, I just thought that’s where we should be.

Browning says his approach in 2025 has been overhauled and is producing better results

“There’s not been any massive elation, or massive lows either. It’s just been the best we can do today, let’s move on and see what we can get next time.

“I think there’s been a couple of times this year where I could have really gone for pole, or really pushed to get that race win. But would it have worked out in my favour? Maybe, maybe not.

“I think I’m approaching things with the mentality of the law of averages and knowing who to fight and when to fight them. That’s an important aspect.

“I’m no stranger to getting my elbows out if I need to. I’ve shown that in ’23 and ’24 at points, but does that need to happen in the first few rounds of a 14-Round season? Probably not.

“I think I’m continuing to get better, I’m getting more comfortable to go quicker and quicker"

“That might change going forward, but I think it’s about staying malleable, being open to change and doing the best with what we’ve got.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming double header of Spielberg and Silverstone, Browning expects a return to form after his tough Barcelona Feature result.

While part of that is down to Hitech’s impressive second half of 2024 in the hands of Paul Aron, he says that his acclimatisation to Formula 2 will also have an impact.

The next phase of the calendar will cross over into the second half of the season, and as one of the title hopefuls, it will be another opportunity to showcase lessons learned from past championship battles.

“Honestly, I think they’re going to be good weekends. I’m feeling very positive about the second half of the season. It’s where Paul really came into his own and where the car and the preparation – it’s natural you know?

“Coming in for your first full year, you’re getting better and better and more comfortable, even though it’s the same team for me, it’s a different group of people I’m working with.

“I think I’m continuing to get better, which is counting for more the further into the year we go. I’m getting more comfortable to put it on the limit, and to go quicker and quicker.”