F2 racer Luke Browning gets another FP1 outing with Williams in F1 Mexico GP, as Porsche has signed Nico Mueller in Formula E.
Atlassian Williams Racing is pleased to announce that Williams Racing Academy Driver Luke Browning will take part in the first free practice session at the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix, taking the wheel of Carlos Sainz’s FW47. This will fulfil the third of four mandated rookie driver sessions this year. Luke is currently locked in a fierce battle for the FIA Formula 2 Championship, occupying third place in the standings with two rounds to go. His consistency throughout the season has been a significant factor in his success, securing nine podiums and one victory in his first full F2 campaign.
The Monza race weekend proved a standout moment, securing pole and a hard-fought win in the feature race. The free practice session will be Luke’s second outing in the FW47 following his FP1 appearance in Bahrain this year. He has also had experience driving the FW46 in FP1 at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and has driven the FW45 extensively in the TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme, in addition to helping the team’s F1 campaign through simulator development work.
Luke’s participation in the FP1 session is part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy’s proud tradition of giving young talent a path into F1 – most recently demonstrated by Academy alumnus Franco Colapinto’s graduation into an F1 race seat. The Driver Academy supports drivers on every rung of the motorsport ladder, working with them on and off the track to develop the skills necessary to race at the top level.
Luke Browning: “I’m hugely grateful to be given another chance to drive in a free practice session with Williams and to experience the FW47 for a second time. I’ve been working hard to prepare for the session so I can make the most of this amazing opportunity and help the team plan for the race weekend ahead. I can’t wait to get back into an F1 car and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone in the Driver Academy and at Williams for their trust and support.”
Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, Atlassian Williams Racing: “Luke has had a strong season in Formula 2 so far, consistently showing his pace across a range of circuits and racing conditions. He has continued to support the team through his simulator work and the TPC programme, preparing him well for his next free practice session. We look forward to seeing him take to the track in Mexico as he continues to build his experience as a Williams Racing Academy Driver.”
Porsche –
Pascal Wehrlein and Nico Müller will form the new driver pairing for Porsche in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The 33-year-old Swiss driver Müller moves from Porsche customer team Andretti to the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer’s factory Formula E team. He succeeds António Félix da Costa, the Portuguese driver having contributed significantly to the success of the Porsche Formula E Team over three years.
“I am delighted that we continue to have one of the strongest driver pairings in the field,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “Pascal is, of course, a well-known figure. Nico has been able to familiarise himself with the Porsche 99X Electric at Andretti during the previous season and is therefore well prepared when he gets into the factory car. Our goals for the upcoming season remain the same: We want to fight for all three titles at the finale in London next year.”
Wehrlein, Drivers’ World Champion for the 2023/2024 season, has been part of the Porsche Formula E Team since August 2020. Müller joined the factory driver line-up in August 2024 and competed last season as a regular driver in the Porsche 99X Electric for Andretti Formula E. Both drivers have already been conducting development work in the simulator in recent weeks for the season after next, when the fourth generation of Formula E cars (GEN4), with over 600 kW of power, will debut. Preparations for the first test drives at the end of the year are underway at the Porsche R&D centre in Weissach.
Parallel to the GEN4 development, Porsche is embarking on the final season with the current, third-generation car, which begins on 6 December with the opening race in São Paulo, Brazil. Before that, the official pre-season tests will take place in Valencia, Spain, where all teams will take to the track together (27–30 November).
More comments on the driver line-up –
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “Welcome to the team, Nico! For us, he’s the logical successor to António and we’ve been observing his abilities for some time, which is why he became a factory driver last year. It was also important for us to choose an experienced driver who could jump in the car as seamlessly as possible. Nico is already familiar with the 99X Electric from Andretti and has also done simulator work at Weissach. We want to challenge for all the titles, so we still need two drivers who have everything they need to score points as quickly and consistently as possible.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche factory driver: “I’m delighted that Nico is joining us and believe he’s a great fit for the team. A good collaboration is the foundation for success, but nothing in motorsport comes easily – we have to keep working hard. I think Nico and I share this attitude. That’s good, because preparing for GEN4 alongside the racing season will demand a lot from all of us.”
Nico Müller, Porsche factory driver: “I’m incredibly proud of this step and thank Porsche Motorsport for their trust. My last season wasn’t easy, but it was all the more instructive – that motivates me tremendously to repay the team’s trust on the track. I’m looking forward to getting to know the team even more and I am convinced that Pascal and I will form a strong duo. I want to contribute as quickly as possible to helping the team build on its recent successes.”
Other news –
Campos Racing partners with Brutal Fish Racing Team in LMP3 venture: https://www.camposracing.com/en/noticias/general/campos-racing-sets-sights-on-endurance-racing-alongside-brutal-fish-racing-team
Here’s Williams pair on DQ
Here’s Carlos Sainz on FOM scene
[The story is as per press release]
