McLaren sign F2 champion and surprise addition to driver pool
McLaren have added three new drivers to their development pool.
McLaren have signed newly-crowned Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli to their driver development programme.
The 20-year-old Italian clinched the F2 championship in Qatar last weekend by finishing second in Sunday’s feature race.
Fornaroli has now won back-to-back titles in Formula 3 and F2, matching the likes of current F1 drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri.
Until now, Fornaroli has not had backing from an F1 team.
He effectively replaces fellow F2 driver Alex Dunne in McLaren’s development squad.
Fornaroli could make his FP1 debut as soon as this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as McLaren need to run a rookie driver in Piastri’s car.
"I’m incredibly proud to be joining the McLaren Driver Development Programme after another successful year on track," said Fornaroli.
"Winning both the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles has been an important step in my journey, and I’m motivated to take the next step in my development through the programme as I work toward my ultimate goal of racing at the highest level.
"I’m very grateful to McLaren for this opportunity, and to everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far. I can’t wait to get started and work closely with the rest of the team.”
Two more additions for McLaren
McLaren have also added Richard Verschoor to their development programme in an unexpected move.
The 24-year-old Dutchman is enjoying his best F2 season to date and currently occupies second in the championship heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi.
Verschoor, who previously had a spell as part of Red Bull’s junior team, has already confirmed that 2025 would be his last season in F2, which he has competed in since 2021.
Finally, McLaren have signed 15-year-old Spanish karting champion Christian Costoya.
"It is a key priority that we continue to develop our talent pipeline to provide options for all of our expanding racing teams," said McLaren's driver development chief Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
"We look forward to working closely with all our drivers in 2026 as they continue their individual development at various stages of their career with the support of the programme through a wide range of testing and progression opportunities across all of our racing series."
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