Williams has announced that it will field its Academy driver Luke Browning instead of Carlos Sainz in first practice at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. It will mark Browning's latest F1 appearance, having driven in first practice at last season's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Williams has prepared Browning for his first experience of the FW47, with the British driver having completed a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) in Monza last weekend. In Monza, he was joined by fellow Williams academy driver Victor Martins. Browning currently sits third in the F2 standings in what is his debut campaign for Hitech GP, having finished on the podium in the Melbourne sprint race. "Being given another opportunity to drive in a Free Practice session with Williams is a dream come true, and I'm getting more and more confidence each time I drive the car," said Browning. "My main aim for FP1 is to get more comfortable with the procedures and environment that come with Formula 1, and to build on my experience from Abu Dhabi last December. "I’m excited to feel the progression from the FW46 to the FW47 and I feel incredibly grateful to James, Sven and the team at Grove for entrusting me with the car. "A lot of preparation has gone into this weekend, so thank you to everyone in the Driver Academy for supporting my development so far." Browning joins Felipe Drugovich, Fred Vesti, Ryo Hirakawa and Dino Beganovic as other rookies driving in FP1.
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