9 June 2026 16:00 (UTC)
“I'm very excited to drive the MCL40 this weekend”
McLaren Development and F1 Reserve Driver Leonardo Fornaroli will make his Formula 1 event debut this weekend when he gets behind the wheel of the MCL40 in Free Practice 1.
Leo will replace Lando Norris in the session as part of the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, which require teams to field a rookie driver in four Free Practice 1 sessions per season.
The 21-year-old Italian joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme in December 2025 shortly after winning the Formula 2 Championship, having secured the Formula 3 title the previous year.
He became just the third driver to achieve back-to-back titles across the two categories, alongside Oscar Piastri and McLaren Driver Development Programme graduate Gabriel Bortoleto, underlining his status as one of the most exciting young talents in single-seater racing.
"I'm very excited to drive the MCL40 this weekend in the Barcelona-Catalunya FP1 session.
"It's going to be a great opportunity to help the team with their preparations and to work through the planned Friday programme. This is going to be a very important mission for me because it's going to be my first official Formula 1 session. It's something I've worked through for a long time, so very excited for it.
"All the experience I've gained through the previous TPC days so far were very important for my development, so a big thank you to Zak, Andrea, and Alessandro, and to all the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team. Can't wait for this weekend!"
Since joining McLaren, Leo has undertaken an extensive development programme that has included TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) running, simulator work and trackside support, helping to further his progress and prepare him for the role of F1 Reserve Driver.
This outing will mark his first experience of contemporary Formula 1 machinery, although he has already completed three tests in our 2023 challenger, the MCL60. He made his TPC debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in March, followed by further runs at Silverstone and the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
In addition to gaining valuable mileage in the MCL40, he will further develop his experience of supporting the team over a race weekend, providing feedback to help optimise setup for Lando and Oscar.
