Luke Browning escapes injury in high-speed crash at Suzuka testing

Williams F1 reserve driver Luke Browning has walked away unharmed from a terrifying high-speed crash during testing at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.

The 24-year-old Briton lost control of his car on standing water before flipping over the Armco barriers.

His vehicle landed upside down after striking a tyre wall during a heavy downpour on Wednesday.

Despite the dramatic nature of the accident, he emerged from the wreckage without injury.

‘I was just a passenger’

The incident occurred 80 minutes into the session when the track conditions deteriorated.

On-board footage captured the moment the car aquaplaned across the gravel trap before launching over the safety fencing.

Browning admitted he should have pitted sooner as the rain intensified.

“It was a bit of an unfortunate crash. I just aquaplaned and then I was just a passenger,” Browning said.

“In hindsight, it would have been better to pit when the rain started to come down harder.”

The Williams academy prospect credited modern safety equipment for preventing serious trauma.

“These are lessons you learn; it’s all about learning over here and today was a lesson that I’ll take forward in my career,” he added.

“I’m completely fine, no pain. The HANS device is fantastic – it saved my neck.”

Mechanics repair damage for day two

Before the accident, the youngster had shown promising pace in the difficult conditions.

He had recorded the fourth-fastest time in the morning session and was running competitively in the afternoon.

Kondo Racing team manager Nobuaki Adachi confirmed the structural damage was not as severe as initially feared.

Mechanics worked through the night to repair the car, allowing the driver to return to the track on Thursday.

However, he was unable to match his opening day performance upon his return.

Browning posted the 18th-quickest time during the second afternoon session, finishing more than a second behind Toyota’s Nirei Fukuzumi.

The Japanese racing season is scheduled to begin at Motegi on 4 April.