Academy Report: Kean scores first FREC win on debut
Read how our Japanese-Slovak racer fared on his first weekend in FREC, as well as updates on Luke Browning in Super Formula
Published
27 APR 2026
Est. reading time
2 min
Kean Nakamura-Berta started exactly where he had left off with victory on his FREC debut, while Luke Browning’s Super Formula weekend was brought to an early end by extreme weather at Autopolis.
Keep reading to learn more about how our Williams F1 Team Driver Academy members fared across the weekend.
Kean Nakamura-Berta
Formula Regional European Championship
Kean Nakamura-Berta made an impressive start to his 2026 Formula Regional European Championship campaign, claiming one victory and two pole positions during the opening round at the Red Bull Ring.
The Japanese-Slovak racer showed front-running pace from the outset, building on a strong practice performance to secure pole position in qualifying 1, going fastest overall across both groups.
He converted that into a composed drive in race 1, navigating multiple Safety Car interruptions and early pressure to retake and control the lead. Managing the race confidently from the front, Kean built a gap and secured victory in a chaotic season opener.
The reverse grid race 2 saw Kean once again keep it clean, to cross the line in P6 and add yet more points to his tally.
Later into the weekend, he continued to run at the front, again claiming pole position for race 3. While the final race proved more challenging, with an off-track moment and eventual early finish, the weekend overall marked a strong start to the campaign.
Round 2 of the Formula Regional European Championship takes place at Zandvoort next month.
Luke Browning
Super Formula
Luke Browning’s third round of the Super Formula season at Autopolis ended without a race, as worsening weather conditions forced the cancellation of Sunday’s event.
Returning to action at another new venue, Luke focused on building experience around this technical circuit on Kyūshū, completing a solid run programme in practice and finishing as the lead Kondo Racing car.
A disrupted Qualifying session limited his chances of progressing, with a red flag halting momentum in Q1. He ended the session P9 in his group, lining up P17 for the race.
Rain arrived on Sunday and conditions deteriorated throughout the day. A late incident in Practice 2 brought an early end to his session, but the team worked quickly to prepare his car in time for the race.
However, with the weather continuing to worsen, the start procedure took place behind the Safety Car before officials made the decision to abandon the race.
With no points on offer, attention now turns to the next phase of the season, as Luke heads to Suzuka for Rounds 4 and 5 later in May following his return to Formula 1 duties in Miami.
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