Luke Browning secured his fifth podium of the 2025 Formula 2 season—and his third in a row—with a P3 finish in the Monaco Sprint Race, continuing a strong run of form for the Hitech TGR driver. Despite starting ninth in qualifying, Browning capitalised on the reverse-grid format to line up second for Saturday’s race. A slow start caused by anti-stall issues initially dropped him down the order, but he recovered to finish third after inheriting the position due to a post-race penalty for Arvid Lindblad. Hitech TGR Team Manager Clive Hatton praised Browning’s resilience and racecraft around the streets of Monaco, while noting his disappointment at the missed opportunity to claim the fastest lap and match F2 championship leader Alexander Dunne on points.
Inheritance of P3 amid Lindblad penalty
Browning’s challenge began the moment the lights went out. Anti-stall issues compromised his getaway, dropping him from P2 to P5 on the opening lap. Nevertheless, the Briton maintained his composure, regaining fourth position after a collision between Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad and DAMS team-mate Jak Crawford caused the American to fall back.
Although Browning stayed close behind Lindblad, the Red Bull Junior driver strategically backed up the pack, making overtaking all but impossible around the tight Monte Carlo circuit. Yet, Browning’s perseverance paid off. Post-race, Lindblad was handed a 10-second time penalty for his involvement in the incident with Crawford, demoting him to eighth and promoting Browning to third.
Hatton reacts: “Another podium is massive”
Speaking after the race, Hitech TGR Team Manager Clive Hatton acknowledged the disappointment of the start but highlighted Browning’s ability to recover and capitalise on the drama ahead.
“He did not get a great start which set him back a bit,” Hatton stated. “It would have been nice to get ahead of that mix-up with Crawford and Lindblad, but then it was just hard to overtake after that around here.”
Hatton also addressed the missed opportunity for the fastest lap, which could have added a crucial point to Browning’s championship campaign.
“It was just a matter of settling down and kind of trying to go for fastest lap when he could,” he added. “But Lindblad was holding him back and then trying to get ahead towards the end, and that meant we were not quite able to do the fastest lap.”
Strong integration at Hitech TGR
The Monte Carlo weekend marked Browning’s debut around the legendary street circuit as a Formula 2 driver. Although not a flawless performance, it demonstrated his growing confidence and adaptability in his rookie F2 season.
Since making his F2 debut in 2024 with ART Grand Prix in Baku, Browning has made a smooth transition to Hitech TGR. Hatton commended his young driver for his patient and strategic approach to the campaign thus far.
“He is settling in quite nicely,” Hatton remarked. “He has been building up to it and bringing himself in more and more, not going all in straight away when he does not need to and getting points where he can.”
Recovery the goal in Feature Race
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Feature Race, Browning faces an uphill task, starting from ninth on a circuit infamous for its limited overtaking opportunities. However, Hatton remains cautiously optimistic.
“Another podium is massive. Especially when things did not go his way yesterday. He got hampered by Montoya when he caused the yellow flags on the last lap, so we just had to take the points available today,” Hatton explained.
With strategy and racecraft likely to be key, Hatton expressed hope that a strong launch off the line could open the door to a meaningful recovery.
“We will see where we could end up tomorrow. It is quite hard to overtake around here, so we will rely on a good start and see what happens in front of us and bring the car home.”
Strategic analysis underway
Hatton concluded by underlining the team’s intention to analyse data overnight, in order to maximise their performance in the Feature Race.
“There is always something you can take away from a Sprint Race, so we will have a look at the data overnight and see what we can come up with.
“I think as long as you are making up places in the Feature Race around Monaco, you can consider it a success,” he concluded.
