McLaren lands a major coup by signing Formula 2 champion Fornaroli
McLaren have snapped up Leonardo Fornaroli. The newly crowned Formula 2 champion will become the team's reserve driver behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for next season and will be part of the new McLaren Driver Development Program.
In Qatar last weekend, Fornaroli secured the F2 title with one race weekend to spare. This made the Italian a back-to-back champion, having taken the Formula 3 title last season, also as a rookie.
That puts Fornaroli in impressive company. In recent years, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto have all won the Formula 2 championship as rookies. All five made the step up to F1. Piastri and Bortoleto are the only ones from that group who, like Fornaroli, became rookie champions in both Formula 3 and Formula 2.
While many drivers with such results jump straight to Formula 1, that path is trickier for the young Italian. The 20-year-old was not tied to an F1 team’s development program, meaning there wasn’t a direct route into F1.
Fornaroli follows the path of Piastri and Bortoleto
With all seats for 2026 already taken, Fornaroli had to look for a reserve role. These days, F1 teams place great value on having a strong reserve driver who can ideally also run in the mandatory FP1 sessions that must be completed by a rookie.
Fornaroli has now secured that role with McLaren. He will serve as reserve and take on free practice outings. In addition, Fornaroli can also take part in the Testing of Previous Car programme, which allows a driver to test in an F1 car using older machinery. In this way, the Italian can be prepared for an F1 debut.
The advantage Fornaroli has is that many contracts expire at the end of 2026 with which could see a big shake up on the grid with seats becoming available. This creates opportunities for Fornaroli, who will use next season as a period to gain as much F1 experience as possible.
At McLaren, Fornaroli will become part of the new McLaren Drivers Program. That has now been givin a big boost by the signing of both Leonardo Fornaroli and Richard Verschoor.
McLaren adds Fornaroli to Driver Programme
Leonardo Fornaroli: “I’m incredibly proud to be joining the McLaren Driver Development Programme after another successful year on track. Winning both the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles has been an important step in my journey, and I’m motivated to take the next step in my development through the programme as I work toward my ultimate goal of racing at the highest level.''
''I’m very grateful to McLaren for this opportunity, and to everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far. I can’t wait to get started and work closely with the rest of the team.”
In addition to Fornaroli, McLaren has also announced the immediate signing of Richard Verschoor and Christian Costoya. Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Chief Business Affairs Officer of McLaren, therefore states:
“McLaren Racing are delighted to welcome two of Formula 2’s current leading drivers — this year’s champion Leonardo Fornaroli and former championship contender and fellow front-runner Richard Verschoor — as well as proven karting champion Christian Costoya, to the McLaren Racing Driver Development Programme.
''All three talented drivers have shown great race craft with multiple wins this season, alongside a number of impressive performances in their respective championships. By welcoming Christian to the programme alongside long-standing member Dries Van Langendonck, we now also have two of the most promising drivers coming out of karting.
“It is a key priority that we continue to develop our talent pipeline to provide options for all of our expanding racing teams. We look forward to working closely with all our drivers in 2026 as they continue their individual development at various stages of their career, with the support of the programme through a wide range of testing and progression opportunities across all of our racing series.”
Christian Costoya: “I am very excited to join the McLaren Driver Development Programme and become part of their talent pipeline. It is great to get the team’s support and be in an environment that is known for developing great drivers. My thanks go to the McLaren team for this great opportunity.”
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