Luke Browning will be Williams reserve driver this season, while also competing in his debut season of the Japanese Super Formula Championship with Team Kondo Racing.

The Grove team has also confirmed the line-up of its driver academy as the youngsters make the next steps in their careers.

Browning takes on the reserve role following a successful Formula 2 campaign in 2025, securing fourth place with Hitech GP. In his first full-time season in the category, the British driver secured nine podiums and one victory - a dominant performance in Italy where he claimed pole followed by a hard-fought win in the feature race.

As Reserve, Browning will play an important role in helping to return the team to the front of the grid as the sport enters an all-new regulations era. In addition to race weekend stand-by duties, he will continue to help developing the car through data analysis and simulator work.

He will combine this with racing for Team Kondo Racing in Super Formula - Japan's premier racing series, considered to be the second-fastest racing series in the world behind Formula 1.

The graduation to Reserve Driver and Super Formula campaign is the latest step in Luke's development as part of the Williams F1 Driver Academy. Joining the Academy in 2023, the Autosport BRDC Award-winner won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix that year and secured third place in the F3 Championship in 2024 before graduating to F2. Before joining Williams he was crowned champion of both the 2020 F4 British Championship and the 2022 GB3 Championship.

In preparation for the reserve role, Browning has made three FP1 appearances in the FW47, building knowledge of the car's characteristics and embedding with the trackside team. He has also taken part in the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme, driving the FW45.

His ascent through the motorsport ladder continues the Academy's tradition of giving young talent a path into F1. The Driver Academy has strengthened year on year, bringing emerging stars into the programme and supporting each driver as they advance toward the highest levels of competition.

Alongside Luke, the 2026 Williams F1 Driver Academy line-up is as follows:

Alessandro Giusti (France) will compete in his second season in FIA Formula 3 with MP Motorsport, targeting the championship title following a strong debut season achieving 13 points finishes and two podiums

Jade Jacquet (France) joins the Driver Academy as Atlassian Williams F1 Team's representative in F1 Academy, racing with ART Grand Prix. Jade transitioned to single seaters after only a year of international karting experience, already impressing in French Formula 4 and claiming the Female Trophy at Dijon-Prenois

Kean Nakamura-Berta (Japan/Slovakia) is another new addition, racing in Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European in 2026. Kean has numerous accolades to his name, including reigning Italian Formula 4 Champion and 2022 CIK-FIA OK European Champion

Oleksandr Bondarev (Ukraine) will continue in Italian F4 with Prema Racing for a second year. His sights are firmly set on a championship win as he builds on his learnings from 2025, having secured a race win in Imola and podium in Misano

Dean Hoogendoorn (Netherlands) steps up into OK karting after a stellar 2025, achieving two titles including FIA Karting European Junior Champion and WSK Super Master Series OKJ Champion

Will Green (UK) builds on his strong performances in 2025, having stepped on the top step three times across the year, and will challenge for a second year in the OKJ category

Lucas Palacio (USA) steps up into OKJ karting after being crowned WSK Super Master Series OKNJ Champion at just 11 years old

"I'm incredibly excited to be stepping up as reserve driver with Williams this year," said Browning. "The Academy has been instrumental in my growth, supporting me through both Formula 3 and Formula 2 while giving me the chance to get up to speed with modern F1 machinery through testing and FP1 sessions. I look forward to working alongside Alex and Carlos to drive the team forward in this new era for Formula 1.

"I'm also happy to confirm that 2026 will be my rookie season in Super Formula. This will be a completely new challenge, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in! As my next step up towards a full-time Formula 1 seat, this gives me another chance to show how I've developed on track and continue to build my skills in a new environment and culture."

"It's a proud moment to see Luke stepping into the reserve driver role from 2026," said James Vowles. "He has made immense progress since he joined the Academy in 2023 and has supported the team's journey back to the front of the grid through his involvement in simulator and FP1 work, which has been invaluable as we enter this new era of regulations. His Super Formula campaign will allow him to gain more on-track experience and continue his growth as a driver, and we look forward to seeing him back on track as he enters this next stage of his racing career."

"We're pleased to confirm our academy line-up for this year," added Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, "and recognise the depth of talent progressing through the programme, from our youngest driver in Lucas to Luke's role as reserve. The driver academy remains a central part of how we support and guide young talent and look forward to seeing how each driver performs this year."