Browning eager to keep momentum going in Baku after maiden F2 win

Luke Browning secured his first victory in FIA Formula 2 at the weekend, winning the Feature Race impressively for Hitech TGR.

The Briton earned his first F2 pole on Friday and was able to convert from P1 on Sunday, despite losing the lead and having to fight back through.

Speaking after the weekend, Browning said it was a huge moment for his season, and he thanked his team for their efforts after returning following the summer break in such strong form.

“It’s amazing. I think we’ve now got to keep this mindset going into the next race. It’s the Championship we’re after, not just a race win, but it does feel very, very cool to achieve.

“Especially after taking such a big step from where we were in the Sprint Race to where we were today. Just very, very grateful to the team.

“But just because we had a good weekend this time around, doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy next weekend. So, we’ll keep focused on Baku and going forward.”

Looking at his race overall, the Williams Racing Development Driver went into detail about how the team’s Soft tyre pace was a huge strength.

He believes that’s where they made the difference, as after retaking the lead of the race from AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen, he was able to extend his advantage out front to beyond three seconds by the chequered flag.

“The start was probably the best start I’ve ever had. Just absolutely rocketed off the line and I didn’t even have to defend into T1, which is a nice thing.

“The Option pace was super quick. I think we were equally quick on the Prime and we excelled when it came to our pace there, which is where we were able to create some distance. Just great preparation by the team and we were right where we needed to be this weekend.”

Looking ahead to Round 12, Browning says he is eager to keep the momentum rolling around a venue where he achieved his first F2 points last season.

With previous experience to bank on from 2024, the Briton says there’s a positive feeling that he and the Hitech team will be able to achieve more strong results as he aims to close the gap on Drivers’ Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli, currently 21 points ahead.

“Feeling very strong going into Baku. I drove there last year and had a fantastic result, in the points in my first race in Formula 2. I’m looking forward to going back there. I really like the track, street circuits are some of my favourites. So we’ll be trying our best and we’ll see what happens.”