Academy Preview: A busy weekend across Europe
Luke gets behind the wheel in FP1, Sandro returns to a happy hunting ground, and our karting trio tackle the next round of the European Championship
Published
10 JUN 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
Several members of the Atlassian Williams F1 Team Driver Academy are back in action this weekend, with racing taking place across Spain and Germany.
Alessandro Giusti heads to Barcelona looking to build on a strong Monaco weekend in Formula 3, while Dean Hoogendoorn, Will Green and Lucas Palacio remain in Mülsen for the latest round of the FIA Karting European Championship.
There is also a significant milestone for Luke Browning, who will make his first Formula 1 appearance of the season during Free Practice 1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Luke Browning
Formula 1
Luke Browning will make his first Formula 1 appearance of the season this weekend when he takes over Alex Albon's FW48 for Free Practice 1 in Barcelona.
The outing marks Luke's fifth official FP1 appearance with the team, and his first opportunity to sample the current generation FW48.
It continues a busy spell for the Brit, who has already combined his Formula 1 reserve duties with an impressive start to life in Japan's Super Formula championship.
Luke scored a standout P4 finish during the most recent Super Formula weekend at Suzuka and currently sits eighth in the standings despite being a rookie in the series.
Friday's session will provide valuable mileage for both Luke and the team as preparations continue for the remainder of the Formula 1 season.
Hear from Luke...
Alessandro Giusti
Formula 3
Fresh from a double points finish in Monaco, Alessandro Giusti returns to FIA Formula 3 action this weekend as the championship heads to Barcelona.
The French racer secured P4 in the sprint race and P7 in the feature race around the streets of Monte Carlo, collecting 13 points and moving up to P8 in the championship standings.
Barcelona holds positive memories for Sandro. It was here last season that he claimed his first F3 podium, finishing third in the feature race during his rookie campaign.
With confidence building after Monaco, he'll be aiming to continue that momentum at a circuit he knows well.
Track action begins with practice on Friday before qualifying later that day. The sprint race takes place on Saturday, with the feature race rounding out the weekend on Sunday.
Our Barcelona style:
2026 Race Special Barcelona Cap
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2026 Race Special Barcelona Sainz Cap
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Albon
2026 Race Special Barcelona Albon Cap
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Built for Athletes x Atlassian Williams F1 Team Barcelona Patch
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Carlos Sainz Barcelona Tee
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Carlos Sainz Sketch Helmet Tee
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Karting
FIA Karting European Championship – Round 3
After competing at the same circuit in last weekend's Champions of the Future event, Dean Hoogendoorn, Will Green and Lucas Palacio return to Mülsen for the next round of the FIA Karting European Championship.
Dean arrives in Germany sitting third in the OK standings after two rounds, having produced a series of recovery drives throughout the opening stages of the campaign. The Dutchman will be looking to strengthen his position near the top of the championship as the series reaches its halfway point.
In the Junior category, Will Green heads into the weekend as championship leader. Victory in the opening round and a podium finish last time out have helped establish the Brit as the driver to beat, although the margins at the top remain tight.
Lucas Palacio continues his rookie European Championship campaign and will be aiming to build on the encouraging pace he showed during the Champions of the Future meeting at the same venue.
The weekend follows the traditional FIA Karting format, with qualifying and heats spread across Friday and Saturday before Sunday's Super Heats and Finals decide the overall honours.
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