Formula 1 is not short of British talent with four drivers hailing from the country on the current grid, showcasing just how strong the junior single-seater ladder is in the country.
Lando Norris and George Russell are now both contenders for championships after several years of asking, while Lewis Hamilton is searching for his eighth title at Ferrari.
Oliver Bearman represents the future of British talent, while there are also a few coming through the ranks who might have a chance of making it to the grid.
One of those is Luke Browning, who signed to the Williams Driver Academy after a strong season in Formula 3. The Briton made the step up to Formula 2 at the end of 2024 having been the runner-up in F3, and is set to contest a full season this year.
Browning’s chances of being promoted to F1 rely on his results in F2, although Williams’ recent signing could make that prospect a lot harder to achieve.
Williams signs Victor Martins from Alpine
2022 F3 champion Victor Martins has been named as the team’s next hopeful in their young driver academy, having poached him from Alpine.
Martins will be racing in F2 this year alongside Browning, although both drivers will be in different teams. Williams confirmed in a press release that Martins will receive “training and guidance to continue refining his skills on and off the racetrack,” as part of his role within the entity.
Martins can be seen as a replacement effectively to Franco Colapinto who is set to make his F1 debut imminently with Alpine, having joined the team earlier this year knowing it was his best chance to make the grid.
| Victor Martins | Luke Browning |
| 2017 French F4 – 2nd | 2017 Ginetta Junior Championship – 11th |
| 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup – 5th | 2018 Ginetta Junior Championship – 3rd |
| 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup – 2nd | 2019 British F4 – 6th |
| 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup – 1st | 2020 British F4 – 1st |
| 2021 Formula 3 – 5th | 2021 German F4 – 3rd |
| 2022 Formula 3 – 1st | 2022 GB3 Championship – 1st |
| 2023 Formula 2 – 5th | 2023 Macau Grand Prix – 1st |
| 2024 Formula 2 – 7th | 2024 Formula 3 – 3rd |
The Frenchman can be considered a serious contender for a seat at Williams in the future, after Martins was considered by Alpine to replace Esteban Ocon. Williams does not have a driver opening slot at the moment, but Carlos Sainz could be tempted to make a switch to a top team if an opening becomes available.
Sainz has not had the best start to his Williams tenure and although he said he’s in it for the long run, he’ll be craving an opportunity to challenge for podiums if their plans to sacrifice everything for 2026 do not yield competitive results.
Martins is more experienced than Browning and has a slightly more proven resume, so it will be interesting to see which of the pair comes out on top in this year’s F2 campaign.
- READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship
Williams to run Victor Martins and Luke Browning for TPC test at Monza
Williams will run both Martins and Browning in a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) run at Monza this weekend, with the pair set to drive the FW45.
It will be an important test for both drivers as it could shape who Williams decides to back for the rest of the season, and who gets more opportunities to improve with their guidance.
It could also inform their decisions as to who takes part in the Friday practice tests later in the season, as F1 teams are bound to run rookies at least four times this year as part of the F1 rule changes for 2025.
James Vowles has previously praised Browning, saying he expects him to have a great career regardless of Williams’ backing.
Williams merely signing Martins is not enough to worry Browning, but it puts some added pressure on the Britain to perform in what is already a highly competitive and difficult championship to succeed in.
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