Leonardo Fornaroli named McLaren Reserve Driver for 2026 F1 Season

2025 FIA Formula 2 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli will serve as McLaren Reserve Driver the Formula 1 team has confirmed.

The Italian joined the British outfit last season following his F2 title success as part of the team’s Driver Development Programme. Fornaroli will now expand that partnership with a Reserve Driver role, an opportunity he said he was extremely grateful for.

"I’m thrilled to be stepping into an extended role with the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as Reserve Driver as part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme,” Fornaroli said.

“It’s an exciting next step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to contributing to such a successful, Championship-winning team this season. A big thank you to Zak, Andrea and Alessandro for this opportunity."

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Chief Businesses Affairs Officer, McLaren Racing, added: “The team are pleased to confirm its Driver Development Programme line up alongside their racing and testing programmes for 2026. Within this, it’s great for Leonardo to step up into the Reserve Driver role for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as part of his development with us, with Pato O’Ward also continuing in this role.

“We have selected an incredibly talented group of nine drivers, which shows the health of our talent pipeline. We are all excited to see their development this season as we create professional drivers across all aspects of racing, progressing towards Formula 1, IndyCar and the team’s upcoming World Endurance Championship entry.”