5 November 2026 14:50 (UTC)
The Italian believes that taking part in successive race weekends will be "a huge advantage"
Mileage in contemporary machinery is a precious commodity in the life of an F1 Reserve Driver, and this weekend in São Paulo, Leo Fornaroli will profit from successive stints in the MCL40 as he jumps behind the wheel for another FP1 session.
The Italian driver, who has recently been announced as a full-time McLaren Hypercar Team Driver for 2027, replaced Lando for first Practice in Mexico City, and will be back in the car again this weekend, marking a rare opportunity to build on what he learnt so soon.
Returning to the car only a week later will significantly decrease the acclimatisation required and allow him to make full use of the 60-minute session.
“I think that it could be a huge advantage,” he says. “When doing your FP1s, you usually only drive once every two or three months, so in the meantime you might even be driving different cars. So, every time, you have to get used to it again – especially if there have been upgrades and the car has changed. The fact that we have two FP1 sessions two weeks in a row is a big advantage.”
In Mexico City, Leo completed 25 laps in FP1, finishing 17th fastest in a session focused on optimising setup for the weekend and testing a few minor, track-specific upgrades. This helped the team make some key changes to improve the car for Lando’s return in the following Practice, with the engineering team praising Leo’s input during debriefings.
Driving the MCL40 for the third time, following his appearances in Barcelona-Catalunya, Hungary, and Mexico City, Leo now has 68 laps under his belt in our 2026 car and is familiar with what the team expects from him on a Friday at track.
While Barcelona and Budapest each present their own challenges, with the Spanish track’s all-round test of a driver, and Hungary’s Monaco-esque narrowness, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is one of the calendar’s more unique challenges. Sitting more than 2,238m above sea level, the altitude strips cars of both downforce and drag, while making them physically tougher to drive.
“Yes, absolutely, it’s harder to drive in general,” he says. “There’s less grip, so you have to be more careful to drive cleanly. I arrived very well prepared. I’ve done a lot of simulator work with the team. I’ve also spent some time with Lando’s engineers.
“In terms of setting the benchmarks to get off to a good start on Friday morning, I was also much more relaxed mentally compared to Barcelona and Hungary, partly because I was a bit more used to it.
“Generally speaking, throughout the session I never felt confident enough to push 100%, but we had said that wasn’t the aim. The aim was to try and learn a new circuit, and to provide data to the team, give feedback and gain experience of what it’s like to drive here.”
Heading to the historic Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known as Interlagos, Leo is eager to take on one of F1’s most iconic circuits – and a track that is significantly closer to sea level.
“It’s a lovely track, I really like it,” he says. “It’s got ups and downs, some really lovely and interesting corners, hairpins and fast corners. I hope the grip is a bit better than it was in Mexico. I’m hoping for more grip or perhaps slightly easier conditions so I can try to adapt to the car and have as much fun as possible.”
With only a few days separating the two Grands Prix, Leo will travel directly from Mexico City to São Paulo with the team. This gives the 21-year-old an opportunity to work more closely with the team. He spent the period leading up to Mexico City embedded with Lando’s engineers and will now join Oscar’s team in Brazil, while continuing to collaborate with both sides of the garage. He’ll also use this time to pick the brains of Lando and Oscar themselves.
There may even be a few hours to spare to explore Brazil’s largest city, known as the country’s culinary capital.
“I’ll have a bit of a look around São Paulo because I’ve never been to Brazil before and it’s an interesting city,” he assures. “And at least a bit of training, a few restaurants – yes, some good meat.
“I’ll spend some time with the engineers, trying to prepare for Friday’s session as best I can, looking at some data from previous years and some on-board footage. I’ll also chat with the drivers to ask for information and suggestions.
“On a Friday, after my session, we’ll have our debrief with the engineers and look at areas for improvement, both in my driving and with the car.
“For the rest of the race weekend, I will follow all the sessions as closely as possible, listen to the communications between the drivers and engineers, and try to chat as much as I can.”
Outside the races he has attended in person, Leo has spent much of the 2026 season tucked away in the simulator, logging thousands of laps as part of his role as our F1 Reserve. Whether he is helping develop and test a potential new upgrade package or honing our setup on race weekends, Leo’s role back at base is pivotal.
Driving the real MCL40 helps him to correlate what he does in the simulator with what Oscar and Lando are doing out on track, allowing him to make more informed decisions and provide more thorough feedback.
“The simulator helps a lot, but it doesn’t simulate everything 100%,” he says. “The laps I do in the simulator are a massive help for both the team, Lando and Oscar, and myself as well, to ensure we’re arriving at the track very well prepared.
“By the time we get to a track, we’ll already have done hundreds of laps and will know it by heart. Once Free Practice gets underway, it’s then about adapting to the situation.”
Asked whether he prefers working from the simulator at the McLaren factory, or taking part in FP1 and being embedded within the team at the track, he smiles. As much as he enjoys race weekends in the simulator, it’s a no-brainer.
“I feel involved in both cases because I’m helping the team try to improve performance,” he says. “But I do think I feel more involved when I’m doing FP1. I’m driving for real – I’m driving the actual car, not the simulator, and I am working with the engineers and the official drivers, so I feel more part of the weekend.”
Replacing Oscar Piastri, Leo will be back in the MCL40 for Free Practice 1 of the São Paulo at 12:30 local time.
