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Luke Browning finished third in his second season of Formula 3, taking two race wins on the way.
The 22 year-old British driver ended the final race in Monza with 128 points, just two points behind second-placed Gabriele Mini, and 25 points (just one Feature Race win) behind the Champion Leonardo Fornaroli.
Browning was in his second season in Formula 3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight, having finished only 15th his rookie year in the championship. In fact, in 18 races last year, Browning only scored points in six of those races, albeit one of them a podium in Barcelona.
Ahead of this year’s season finale, he reflected on how far he’s come since his rookie season, and spoke about being in contention for the title.
Progress last year to this year
Speaking to selected media, including FormulaNerds, at Monza, Browning acknowledged the rough start to his Formula 3 campaign.
“Last year was a difficult year for me because I was almost thrown in it,” he said. “I didn’t do any testing. I didn’t expect to be in Formula 3. And to be honest, at a point I was standing, I didn’t think I was going to finish the season either. I’d never raced on any European tracks before. It was very, very new for me coming from UK racing, so the learning process of last year was almost just turning up and learning the circuit.
“Imagine turning up to a new circuit that you’ve never raced on before in Formula 3 and having one set of tyres in free practice before going to quali, and that set of tyres last the optimum performance of one lap. It’s not easy to get on top of it.”
Fast forward to this year, and things have been working much better for Browning. Crucially, in between his two Formula 3 seasons, he competed in, and won, his first Macau Grand Prix.
“That fusion between me and the team has really connected and it feels like we’re speaking the same language,” Browning compared 2023 to 2024. “Whereas last year maybe my feedback was a bit disjointed. With me describing an entry to mid-phase, where exactly is that? If I’ve got oversteer on the entry, well what’s your defined entry? Is it throttle, or is it coming off the brake? This sort of stuff has really helped this year.
“I’ve nailed down where and how to drive the car and what suits me and what’s been a disadvantage for me, and I think we’re on top of it so I think these learnings have been massive this year, and I really feel I’ve stepped up as a driver, so it’s a real good foundation for the future.”
Being in title contention
Browning’s start to the 2024 season boded well for the rest of his year, as he qualified second in Bahrain and went on to win his first race in the Feature that weekend. While he had to wait until past mid-season to secure his next win (a Feature Race win in Austria), he remained consistent quick and scored the points to stay in the title fight.
When asked by FormulaNerds in Monza if Browning had been surprised to be in title contention after a tumultuous rookie season, Browning answered: “Not at all, to be truthful. Last year the car was quick, very quick, Gabi [Mini] had pole in Monaco, we were so fast in the race in Bahrain we came from 18th to fourth, we look back to the last race in Monza here we came from 27th to fifth, Spa we were the fastest in the [Free Practice] in the wet by quite a way, in the dry in Silverstone in FP we were the fastest.�
“It was so obvious to the outside world that we were quick, it was just not coming together. So I think for anyone that did their research and looked into it, especially after going and winning the world cup in Macau, it was pretty clear that we were going to be title contenders.�
“So I think it was quite funny really, I think the general perception of the people who don’t look into it go, ‘Wow, how was Browning’s 2023 season so forgettable’, but I think they forget that I got thrown into it, did no testing, and then my first year ended up winning the world cup. So I don’t think it’s too bad.”
While, in the end, Browning only managed third overall after spinning out early on in the final race of the season, he’s likely proved more than enough that he’s ready for the next step on the ladder. As Formula 2 silly season begins in the next couple of months, Browning, also boosted by his status as a Williams Academy driver, shouldn’t have trouble finding a seat for 2025.
Feature Image Credit: @Formula3 on X