McLaren and Williams reveal reserve drivers for F1 2026

McLaren and Williams have confirmed who will be their respective reserve drivers for the upcoming 2026 F1 season.

On Thursday, McLaren announced that reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and IndyCar frontrunner Pato O’Ward would serve as the reigning world champions’ reserve drivers in 2026.

Fornaroli, who was signed by McLaren in December following his F2 title triumph, will “undertake an intensive testing and sim programme to aid his development”.

“I’m thrilled to be stepping into an extended role with the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as reserve driver as part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme," said Fornaroli.

"It’s an exciting next step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to contributing to such a successful, championship-winning team this season. A big thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and Alessandro [Alunni Bravi] for this opportunity.”

Meanwhile, O’Ward will continue in the role he has fulfilled over the past two seasons.

"I am excited to continue in my role as reserve driver for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team, alongside my primary duties in the NTT IndyCar Series with Arrow McLaren," the Mexican said.

"I’ve learned an incredible amount from testing and driving F1 cars over the past few years, so I am looking forward to this continued growth and development.”

Williams promote Luke Browning

Williams then announced on Friday that Luke Browning has been promoted to become the team’s reserve driver this season.

Officially, Williams did not previously have a named reserve driver, but could call upon the services of Mercedes’ reserves if needed as part of their engine deal. Last year that was Valtteri Bottas, who has since joined Cadillac. 

Browning, who finished third in Formula 3 in 2024 and fourth in F2 in 2025, participated in three F1 practice sessions with Williams last season.

The 24-year-old Briton will dovetail his new commitment alongside a rookie season in Japan’s Super Formula.

“I’m incredibly excited to be stepping up as Reserve Driver with Atlassian Williams F1 Team this year,” Browning said.

“The Academy has been instrumental in my growth, supporting me through both Formula 3 and Formula 2 while giving me the chance to get up to speed with modern F1 machinery through testing and FP1 sessions.

"I look forward to working alongside Alex [Albon] and Carlos [Sainz] to drive the team forward in this new era for Formula 1."