Ones to watch: Who are McLaren’s 2026 Development Drivers?

Pato has now been part of the McLaren family for over half a decade, having first donned our colours in 2020. The Mexican star rapidly established himself as a front-runner in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, his engaging personality, fast hands, and daring approach making him a fan favourite.

Pato enjoyed a strong 2025 campaign with Arrow McLaren, finishing a career-best second in the overall standings and taking his victory tally to nine, triumphing in races in Iowa and Toronto. There was also a third top-three finish in the Indianapolis 500 in four years.

The ambitions for 2026, therefore, remain high, with Pato and Arrow McLaren gunning for the Championship while targeting that elusive success at Indy, where Pato has always been among the strongest competitors.

Pato will dovetail his INDYCAR commitments alongside his role as a Test and Reserve driver for McLaren Mastercard in Formula 1, providing back-up to Lando and Oscar. Pato has undertaken several Driver Development Tests, and last year made two appearances in Free Practice 1 sessions, on home turf in Mexico City, and in Abu Dhabi. That knowledge of the team will be critical as Formula 1 heads into new regulations in 2026.

Leonardo joined an exclusive club in 2025, following in the footsteps of Oscar and Driver Development Programme graduate Gabriel Bortoleto by taking successive titles in Formula 3 and Formula 2.

Leonardo arrived in Formula 2 as the reigning Formula 3 Champion, but that title had been achieved in unusual style. Remarkably consistent, Leonardo sealed the Championship in the season finale, but he did so despite never once climbing to the top step of the podium.

His Formula 2 campaign was different, however, as three Pole positions and four victories saw Leonardo build an unassailable advantage in the standings, enabling him to seal the crown with a round to spare in Qatar.

A calm and methodical presence, Leonardo will play a vital role through 2026 as Formula 1 welcomes new regulations, with an intensive simulation and testing programme.

Dutch veteran Richard has been a staple of single-seater championships for several years, having first caught the attention in 2019, when he won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

Richard has been a front-runner in Formula 2 for several seasons, regularly contending for podiums and wins, and last year enjoyed his strongest campaign, finishing third in the final standings with four victories. With 129 starts under his belt, Richard has entered more races in Formula 2 than any other driver in history, while his eight wins tie him as the series' most victorious driver.

It hasn’t been a smooth route for the determined Dutch racer, but at the end of 2025, he was offered a spot in the McLaren Driver Development Programme, rewarding his perseverance and tenacity over the years. For 2026, he will switch from single seaters to sports cars, contesting the full European Le Mans Series with the DUQUEINE team in LMP2. He will dovetail this alongside a testing programme across McLaren Racing’s portfolio, as the team prepares for its upcoming WEC entry in 2027.

Hard-working Swiss prodigy Grégoire Saucy has long been tipped as one to watch, but appears to have found his calling in endurance racing, following a switch to sports cars with United Autosports in 2024, after originally rising through the junior racing ranks in single-seater competition.

Widely regarded as one of Switzerland’s most exciting racers, Grégoire became the youngest competition licensee in Switzerland at only seven years old, having begun karting as a three-year-old at his family’s indoor karting track. He enjoyed a promising rise up the junior racing ladder, culminating in the Formula Regional European Championship title with ART Grand Prix in 2021.

Two successful years in Formula 3 followed, but it is in endurance racing where his talents have flourished - the now 26-year-old impressing McLaren’s official Endurance Racing partner United Autosports across two seasons in the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series.

For 2026, he’ll continue to hone his skills in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, competing in the LMP2 category with United Autosports.

Matteo displayed promising results in his Formula 4 career, and hinted at his potential during his first year in the Formula Regional European Championship, but he firmly broke out in 2025 during his second season in the series.

The Italian opened his sophomore season with a victory and established himself as a regular front-runner, scoring three further wins and finishing a close runner-up in the final standings. 2025 also brought his second appearance in the historic Macau Grand Prix, where he claimed a top 10 finish.

He will continue his career progression up the pyramid in 2026 in the Formula 3 Championship, having joined the Formula 1 support paddock with Trident.

Having announced herself to the F1 Academy paddock with a standout wildcard appearance in 2024, former showjumper Ella flourished during her first full campaign in 2025.

Ella claimed a breakthrough maiden victory around the streets of Jeddah, and captured a hat-trick of podium finishes through a tricky weekend in Montreal, avoiding the pitfalls and dramas that befell others.

More silverware followed in slippery weather in Singapore, and those results all contributed to the tenacious and steely Welshwoman earning Rookie of the Year honours, with a strong fourth in the final standings.

Ella also contested select rounds of the British Formula 4 Championship around her F1 Academy commitments, with the highlight coming at Zandvoort, where she scored a podium finish.

Ella will remain in F1 Academy in 2026 and enters as one of the favourites for top honours this year.

Ella excelled throughout her karting career, achieving a string of noteworthy accomplishments. She is a double English KZ2 Champion, a British BirelART Cadet Champion, and in 2025 took Vice-Champion honours in British KZ2 – also becoming the first woman to take a victory in the UK’s premier karting category.

McLaren has doubled its efforts in F1 Academy in 2026, and Ella will step up to the series this year in the team’s second entry, under the McLaren Oxagon banner.

Ella immediately made an impression in F1 Academy by topping the inaugural Rookie Test in Navarra in September 2025, providing an excellent springboard as she prepares for her first campaign.

Karting ace Dries turned 15 in 2025 and immediately stepped up to single-seater competition. Diving straight in at the deep end, he headed to Donnington Park to compete in the British Formula 4 Championship on his birthday, the first day he was eligible.

Dries triumphed in Race 3 at the iconic circuit, becoming the youngest-ever winner in British F4, at the age of 15 years and a day. Dries contested further rounds at Silverstone and Brands Hatch to accrue additional experience in the entry-level Championship.

The Belgian also signed off from his karting career in style, winning the WSK Super Master Series – OK class.

In 2026, he will continue his assimilation into single-seaters, taking on a full programme in British F4, following his Championship triumph in the the Formula Winter Series during the early months of the year.

Karting hotshot Christian has already made a name for himself despite his tender age.

Christian built on runner-up finishes in the 2023 FIA Karting World Championship and 2024 FIA Karting European Championship by being crowned Champion in both the FIA Karting European Championship and the WSK Euro Series in 2025.

Known for his precision and consistency, Christian will make the transition to single-seaters in 2026, contesting a busy Formula 4 programme that will see him compete in Italian F4, Euro 4 and F4 Middle East as he gets to grips with new machinery.

Ella made a name for herself in 2024 by winning the Champions of the Future Academy event in Cremona, and is among a group of karters being supported by the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive programme, as the Championship strives to unearth future talents.

Ella is also, of course, the daughter of two-time Formula 1 World Champion and McLaren Racing icon, Mika, who spent nine years with us.

Still only 14 years of age, Ella is set to undertake an intensive Formula 4 testing programme behind-the-scenes through 2026 to gather experience, with a view to stepping up to a race programme in 2027, alongside a testing programme across McLaren Racing’s portfolio, as the team prepares for its upcoming World Endurance Championship entry.