Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning charged from P7 to secure his third podium of the season during the Sprint Race at the F2 Imola GP. Four rounds in, Browning has secured two sprint podiums and a feature podium so far as the wait continues for his first win in F2. The Briton has had a decent start to his 2025 campaign—putting him in an excellent position as an early title contender.
Speaking to Pit Debrief and other media outlets during the post-Sprint Race press conference, the Williams junior reflected on his performance and shared his approach heading into tomorrow’s Feature Race.
Destroyed tyres “a little bit early on” to fight but did not work out
Many drivers, including Browning, were denied their last run during Qualifying after Kush Maini’s late crash in the session brought out the red flags. As six minutes remained on the clock, an early conclusion to Qualifying was declared. This meant many drivers did not get to put in a lap which truly showcased their speed. Starting P7 for the Sprint, Browning faced a challenge ahead to reach the podium—especially at a circuit like Imola, where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
Browning was relatively happy with the car. The Briton explained his decision to push early in the race as “part of the plan.” In the second half, however, Browning stated it was all about managing his pace and tyres in order to stay away from any potential threat behind.
“Very good. As Arvid said, I went for the fastest lap at the start of the race, so probably destroyed my tyres a little bit early on. But all part of the plan, I think. Pushing towards the end of the race just wasn’t so necessary. The second half of the race for me, I just let it go by, save the tyres, and made sure I didn’t have any pressure from behind.”
Browning reflects on late-race pressure and DRS train
During the later stages of the race, Browning led a mini DRS train with ART’s Victor Martins and Rodin’s Alex Dunne following closely behind. In hindsight, the Briton thought he should have pushed more. Browning admitted he barely checked his rear mirrors as the race neared its end and was happy to have avoided a last-lap scrap for the final place on the podium.
“I’m not sure if they got up within DRS zone or not. I guess that’s how little I was looking in my rear mirrors, to be honest. I could have pushed on at the end. Equally, I think the guys behind did a good job. We were all in a nice train. It was just nice to not have that big last lap scrap.”
Hopeful strategy makes the difference tomorrow
Ahead of the Imola GP, Browning told F2 he felt in a “good place” mentally as the series heads into the triple header. The Williams junior looked to his strong Feature Race results in the past two rounds. Heading into Sunday at the 2025 Imola GP, Browning feels confident in his ability to deliver another strong result.
“Good. We’re in a good place. I think the feature race has been one for us in the top five of the past two races. It puts me in a good place, but we’ll see,” Browning said.
The Briton highlighted that strategy will play a key role in determining the outcome of the Feature Race, especially with tyre degradation and management. Noting that the option tyre might make the difference, Browning explained that there were some things to work on overnight.
“Obviously, strategy comes into it a lot. I think the weather’s going to be stable. We’ve got a little bit to work on, on management and deg [degradation], looking at tomorrow. The two compounds are going to be interesting. Maybe the options make quite a big difference tomorrow. Let’s see how it pans out. Let’s see about that.”
Finished where he deserved to finish said Browning
When asked if his pace was enough to stay ahead of Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad at the start, Browning truthfully admitted it was truly not enough. The 23-year-old stated he was contempt with where they finished. The Williams junior explained his and Hitech’s approach in their car setup and said that they were happy with what they could achieve with it.
“Probably not, truthfully. I think where we finished was probably where we deserved to finish, just on overall pace and how it panned out.”
“We set the car up to try and get the fastest lap at the start, which we achieved, which was good. But with the nature of the race and how long they are, we should have lost the end, [so it is what it is.]”
Feedback from race engineer useful in cockpit
The Williams junior explained that clear communication with the pit wall helped shape his race. As engineers often see the race differently from drivers in the cockpit, Browning explained that his engineer advised him to push after passing ART GP’s Ritomo Miyata to build a gap while in clean air—advice that paid off as he managed to keep Martins and Dunne behind.
“I think it’s just an understanding. Does the guys on the pit wall see how the race is going from a slightly different perspective than we do. So understanding the threat from behind compared to the threat ahead, etc. I think that’s exactly it.”
“My engineer told me that. It’s because I just got clear air past [Ritomo] Miyata, I think. He said I may as well use the tyres a little bit to get a little bit of gap, which then I maintain for the rest of the race.”, he added.
Browning credited his race engineer for passing on the necessary information well and added that, unlike some F1 moments, he had no reason to push back on the calls.
“So that was good management from his side. But yeah, you do see it in F1 sometimes, don’t you, where they go, leave me alone and try my hardest. No, it wasn’t the case for me.”
Risk versus reward at a hard to overtake circuit like Imola
When asked about risk versus reward around a circuit like Imola, Browning kept it simple. The Briton explained it is a mindset that is to be maintained throughout the entire season. However during the Sprint Race today, Browning explained that keeping out of trouble and driving a clean race was what “did the job”.
“Yes, I think it’s the same for the whole season. Risk versus reward. For me, it was pretty straightforward today. I kept my wheels away from other people’s wheels, powered around, and did the job.”
With eyes set on securing more points to his championship tally tomorrow, Browning added that scoring more points during the Feature would be ideal.
“I collected nine points heading up the sprint race. Another nine tomorrow would be fantastic.”
Degradation different from other races so far
In response to a question from Pit Debrief about what made this Sprint stand out from the others, Browning pointed to tyre degradation as the key factor. The 23 year-old noted the higher tyre pressures and compound differences at Imola increased degradation compared to previous races, making the management a bigger factor this weekend.
“We had more deg [degradation], I think, this race compared to others. Naturally, I think we had a higher tyre pressure than we had in previous rounds, and also steps off during the compound, which I think we’ll show tomorrow as well. So degradation is more of an issue now than it was before.”
However, the Williams junior added it added an element of excitement. Praising his competitors further down the field that had impressive pace and stuck some great overtakes, Browning explained it was such battles like those that makes races more exciting.
“So I think it should make the racing a little bit more exciting. Yeah, and I think it was. I think there were a few overtakes from down the grid from the guys that had a serious pace advantage and were able to get through. Yes, one may be like that, but it’s more fun.”
Different strategy and approach tomorrow
With a longer race distance ahead, the Briton explained it will be a different approach for him and Hitech tomorrow. Browning noted that the Feature Race would require a different strategy. With tyre longevity playing a key role in strategy, he alluded to the possibilities of an undercut or overcut.
“Yes, so it will be a slightly different strategy tomorrow. Obviously we’ve got to keep the tyres a little bit longer. The option tyres will be important, maybe an overcut or an undercut to start off with if we go option prime, but I think from where I’m starting there will also be an opportunity to do the other strategy.”
With a lot to evaluate ahead of Sunday’s Feature Race, the Williams junior stated that learnings from todays Sprint will be crucial.
“So it will be interesting to see the way it plans out. Obviously the past two feature races I think have been run with a prime option. So it will be a big evaluation tonight. It will be all about managing the deg [degradation] tomorrow and learning from what we had today.”
Browning will start the Feature Race in P7 with teammate Dino Beganovic on pole . Hoping to replicate similar results, Browning will be a driver to look out for as he will hope to charge up the field once more.
