Williams F1 Announce Driver Change for 2026 Season as Statement Issued
Williams have confirmed a change to their driver lineup for the upcoming 2026 Formula One season.
With a new set of regulations set to be introduced and an 11th team joining the grid for the first time in the history of the sport, the 2026 F1 season will be completely different to any other.
The one thing that has remained largely the same is the driver lineups, with Racing Bulls the only team to promote a rookie to their team as Arvid Lindblad takes Isack Hadjar's seat following the Frenchman's promotion to Red Bull.
However, that hasn't stopped some teams from making changes to their reserve drivers for the 2026 campaign, with McLaren recently announcing that new signing Leonardo Fornaroli would join their reserve lineup alongside Pato O'Ward.
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But McLaren isn't the only team making changes to their lineup, as Williams have now also confirmed their reserve drivers for the 2026 campaign.
After deciding to part ways with Franco Colapinto ahead of the season, Williams spent most of 2025 without a reserve driver, with several drivers from the Young Driver Academy instead filling in for mandatory practice sessions.
But this will not be the case in 2026, as Williams have confirmed that British racer Luke Browning, 23, will work as the team’s reserve driver for the season, while also competing in his debut season of the Japanese Super Formula Championship with Team Kondo Racing.
Browning enjoyed massive success racing in F2 last year, securing one race win and eight more podium finishes and finishing fourth in the standings with Hitech GP.
The British driver joined the Williams F1 Driver Academy in 2023, and has already appeared in several F1 practice sessions with the team, including in Bahrain, Mexico and Abu Dhabi last season.
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“I’m incredibly excited to be stepping up as Reserve Driver with Atlassian Williams F1 Team 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."
In his role as reserve driver, Browning is expected to help to develop Williams’ new car through data analysis and simulator work, while remaining ready to step in for regular drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz if needed.
James Vowles, Williams Team Principal, added: “It’s a proud moment to see Luke stepping into the Reserve Driver role from 2026.
“He has made immense progress since he joined the Academy in 2023 and has supported the team’s journey back towards 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.
Topics: Formula 1
Ben McCrum