Browning hoping to ‘surprise’ people after joining ART for the rest of the 2024 season

Luke Browning’s start to life as a Formula 2 driver with ART Grand Prix could not have gone much better as he scored points on his debut weekend at the demanding Baku City Circuit.

The Williams Driver Academy talent was confirmed to be seeing out the rest of the F2 campaign with the French outfit after finishing third in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship.

He then marked his first round in the second tier with a run to seventh in the Baku Feature Race, but speaking prior to the weekend getting underway, Browning spoke of his new life in F2.

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“I am an F2 driver, it's a weird sentence to say, I didn't expect it to be honest,” started Browning. “It came together quite last minute but irrelevant, I am finishing the 2024 season with ART, and I feel super grateful for the opportunity.

“It's an opportunity to learn and to show what I can do. I get thrown in at Baku, I've never driven the F2 car before or the GP2 car, so it's a big difference to Formula 3.

“It will be a big jump and I think going 330km/h down to T1, trying to pick my braking zone on a dirty circuit for the first time in F2 will not be easy but maybe we can surprise everyone.

“The perception is that I have come here to learn and there are no expectations which I have not had for a long time. I like the idea of not having the pressure and just seeing what I can do, maybe we can surprise a few people.

“Everyone at ART has been super nice to me, super welcoming and of course I am super grateful for the opportunity to join them for the rest of the season.

“So, I am just trying to learn as much as I can. A big thank you to Seb and also to my management, and to Williams for giving me the opportunity. I hope to show them why by the end of the year.”

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With such a quick turnaround time, Browning’s preparations were quite intense as he spent a few days at ART’s headquarters in Paris looking to get up to speed on several new procedures.

When asked about the added information he had picked up, he replied: “I spent the last three or four days in Paris and the headquarters on the sim and for the seat fit.

“I was also learning how to do pit stops, now I know how to release the clutch for the pit stops which is a lot more difficult than it actually sounds. There is a lot more things in Formula 2 than in Formula 3, the little things to get right.

“But the main things are the brakes, I've never had carbon brakes before, if anyone doesn't know, they take a bit more warming up, they work at a completely different operating temperature than the steel brakes in Formula 3.

“I think also the tyres are a lot bigger, they are different to warm up, they have a different peak, there is a different way of driving for them.

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“The car is also very different, it's very floor-dominated now and a bit heavier, so it's a very different way of driving. So learning, picking up that driving style in such a short amount of time is difficult but let’s see.”

What will help Browning is that sat in the car next to him in the garage is two-time Formula 2 race winner Victor Martins. The Briton acknowledges how impressive the Frenchman is and why that can only be a positive for him.

“I'd never spoken to Victor before, but he seems like a nice guy,” said Browning. “Don't get me wrong I have a lot of respect for Victor, he is a great driver clearly, he is a good person to go up against, one of the strongest drivers on the grid.

“He is a Formula 3 champion so what better person to put myself up against and learn from coming in with no testing and you know what, if I beat him a few times it's good for me, so let’s see.”

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After a strong showing in Baku, Browning now has some time off before the next round in Lusail and the season finale in Abu Dhabi. He talked through what he hopes to achieve in the last two weekends of the year.

“I want to build up,” he added. "By Abu Dhabi I want to have put in some good performances that show that I can fight for the Championship next year, that's the goal. However, if that comes, I don't know, there will be a lot of learnings along the way I am sure but hopefully that is possible.”