18 May 2026 17:00 (UTC)
The Driver Development Programme has enjoyed a productive start to the 2026, but there’s more to come
The Papaya Family will have seen the McLaren Driver Development Programme bolster its ranks over the past six months with an array of exciting new talent, but behind the scenes, we have also been working hard to continue to evolve how we support and shape its members.
Following a busy first few months of the year, we caught up with Chief Business Affairs Officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi and Head of Driver Development Warren Hughes to discuss these new initiatives and where the programme sits heading into the focal point of 2026.
McLaren has a rich pedigree in identifying young talent, providing the environment in which their natural talent can be developed, and helping them fulfil their potential. While support and guidance have long been provided to youngsters, the Driver Development Programme was formally relaunched in 2023, and continues to be refined to best shape the path of prospective competitors.
“We are building our future every day”, says Alessandro. “We have created our team's talent pipeline, starting from Lewis Hamilton, and we have given many opportunities to drivers, like Lando Norris, and we have been doing the same in IndyCar, with Pato O'Ward.
“I think that is a part of our DNA: to work with young talents to create the right opportunities and provide them with the right tools to develop.”
From 2027, with McLaren’s entrance into the Hypercar category of the FIA World Endurance Championship, there will be even more avenues within the family for young drivers.
“I think it's important for us to identify talents that can fit all of our programmes,” Alessandro says. “And according to their development path, their profile, and also to our needs, we can then direct the best drivers towards the best place in our three categories.”
Selecting the intake for the Driver Development Programme is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Of course, pure speed and talent remain the core components, but there are multiple attributes to ensure a driver can make the required steps.
“Every driver is very different,” says Warren. “Obviously, the speed has to be there. Really good drivers are very adaptable across different conditions, new situations, new categories, and in the rain. There’s also the ability to self-reflect, which I think is a massive part of being a good driver. You need to have a good racing brain - you need to be intelligent, analytical, humble, and always willing to learn. There’s no ‘one thing’, and every single driver is very different. Some need support with the actual mechanics of driving, some need a better technical understanding, some need psychological support.”
To that end, McLaren have commissioned a simulator that will be exclusive to the Driver Development Programme and is due to come online soon.
“A simulator allows you to get under the skin of it a little bit in a less pressured environment, so that you can try to better understand technically what the driver is doing, and what we can help with,” explains Warren.
There is also the benefit of being part of such a large and historic organisation, where even a walk around the McLaren Technology Centre can provide an insight into past success, different departments, and face-to-face time with those who have already lived the experience.
“We also have the McLaren Performance Hub, a state-of-the-art fitness centre where we can assess the drivers regularly, in terms of their physical capabilities – that’s a fabulous facility,” Warren says. “Even just being a part of McLaren, and being close to our racing teams, draws the drivers closer to the team.
“Our engineers, our F1 management, Lando and Oscar, they will all regularly stop and talk to our young drivers. That is all a part of that whole learning process.”
The DPP welcomed Leonardo Fornaroli in 2025, shortly after the Italian had clinched the Formula 2 Championship in his rookie season, having previously been crowned Formula 3 Champion in 2024.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Leonardo was appointed as a Reserve Driver in Formula 1, providing support to Lando and Oscar, an important role that will evolve through the course of the year.
“Leonardo is doing an incredible job,” says Alessandro. “We are very, very happy about what he's doing. He has already done two TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] tests, completing more than 1000km of running. There were no mistakes, he is progressing very well, and he was immediately competitive.
“The TPC tests will continue during the season to ensure he is fully prepared to jump in in a reserve capacity. He has also joined the team trackside, attending Pre-Season Testing in Bahrain, the Japanese and Miami Grands Prix, and will be with us in the garage again at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix. At track, he works with the team in order better understand how to approach a race weekend from a driver’s perspective, including how to give feedback and what are the main duties of the race driver.
“Additionally, he has also been supporting the team at the McLaren Technology Centre during Grands Prix, working in the simulator together with our simulator drivers, which is a very valuable job.”
F1 Academy began its 2026 campaign in China, though it has been on an extended hiatus following the cancellation of the Saudi Arabia event. Sophomore Ella Lloyd and rookie Ella Stevens will be back in action for McLaren in Canada for a trio of races, where last year, Ella Lloyd scooped a hat-trick of podiums.
“Every year we want to have one experienced driver and a rookie so that both can benefit, one side from experience, the other from the fresh approach, pushing one another to the limit,” Alessandro says. “Ella Lloyd was able to immediately win last year, and she’s been doing very important work for us with our partners.
“We have been impressed by Ella Stevens. She has done less mileage, maybe than any other F1 Academy driver, but she was immediately very competitive last year. She knows that she has to improve in certain areas, but we see her progressing during the season.”
The growth and prominence of F1 Academy has brought additional learnings for those on the DPP.
“F1 Academy is very demanding, because you are showcased immediately to the top level of motorsport,” Alessandro says. “It's the equivalent of a Formula 4 car, but because you are with Formula 1, you have all the attention from the media that comes with it, so the challenge is very big.”
Meanwhile, Ella Häkkinen made her Formula 4 debut in the CEZ Championship in Austria, taking a top 10 result on her first outing, as she continues her single-seater pathway.
“She’s come straight from karting,” Warren says. “There’s serious commitment there. Visibly on track, she is way ahead of what I expected at this early stage. Out of the car, she’s very, very focused, very driven. You can see there’s a real determination. She’s a strong character, she’s got a fire in her. The early signs are really promising.”
McLaren has previously added karters to the DPP, including Dries van Langendonck and Christian Costoya, both of whom made their Formula 4 debuts in 2025, and are contesting full seasons in 2026. But in April, the DPP recruited its youngest-ever member, with 11-year-old Briton Harry Williams joining the roster.
“I think it's the work of any development programme to look at the long term, not just the next two or three years,” says Alessandro. “This is what we are trying to do. We are looking at the next generation and building a pipeline to our race seats across all of our series.
“Harry is very young, of course, but we want to start at this level in karting. That’s so we can understand the karting environment better, and support a driver from a very early stage – not just in the transition from karting to Formula 4. It’s also a learning process for us.”
Finding the right driver, and then providing that driver with the right experience, is also critical.
“All of us, including Zak, are very well connected across the paddocks,” Warren says. “We are given a lot of input about different drivers, and who it might be worth keeping an eye on, which we will then assess. Even in karting, you’ve got to take into account the quality of the teams and the equipment, and the funding drivers have available at that early stage.
“Obviously, starting at F4 level is with a test programme,” Warren says. “If we take Dries and Christian as examples, both embarked on a test programme, with a number of different teams across different countries to see what the best fit was, both from a technical point of view, and also the right fit for the driver's personality.”
