Leonardo Fornaroli joins McLaren's Hypercar programme for 2027
The Italian reigning Formula 2 champion, Leonardo Fornaroli has officially been announced as a driver for McLaren Hypercar Team's inaugural World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign.
McLaren has confirmed Italian Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion as well as current reserve driver for its Formula One team, Leonardo Fornaroli, as a driver for the team's first WEC Hypercar season.
The 21-year-old, joins the McLaren Hypercar Team, which already boasts experience and high-degree endurance pedigree, with 2024 champion Laurens Vanthoor, former Peugeot driver Mikkel Jensen and -recently- Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver Alex Lynn.
Fornaroli has also been confirmed to be continuing his reserve driver duties for the McLaren Formula One team in 2027.
''Joining the McLaren Hypercar Team is an incredibly exciting next step in my career and I'm grateful that my role as McLaren Mastercar Formula 1 reserve driver has opened up this incredible opportunity'', Fornaroli stated.
''I'm delighted to be continuing in that role next year, while also taking on this new challenge. To represent McLaren in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a huge honour, and I am ready to give everything as we take on this new challenge together.''
''I'd like to thank the McLaren Driver Development Programme for supporting me throughout my journey and for giving me the opportunity to develop my skills on such a competitive and prestigious stage'', concluded the Italian.
''Leo is a exceptional talent: winning Formula 3 is a significant achievement, but to follow that by winning Formula 2 as a rookie underlines his natural talent and one of the most exciting drivers in motorsport.'' said Team Principal James Barclay.
''His speed, consistency and maturity at such a young age, helped him achieve a huge amount in the junior categories and those same attributes make him an exciting addition to our McLaren Hypercar Team.''
''We have a great driver lineup forming, which blends experienced sports car drivers and now young talent for our debut season. I worked with Leo briefly in my previous role and his approace and performance impressed me very much, we both look forward to taking on McLaren's debut season in the World Endurance Championship together'', the Briton underlined.
Despite his back to back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in 2024 and 2025, Fornaroli found himself without a Formula One seat, after ''graduating'' from the junior single-seater ladder.
Having not previously been a part of an F1 team Academy programme, McLaren swooped in for his services, in late-2025. Since then he has conducted a number of tests with the team, driving the MCL60 round Barcelona, Silverstone, COTA, Monza, Portimao and most recently at Paul Ricard, where he drove the team's championship-winning 2025 MCL39.
He has also so far competed in two FP1 sessions for the team, at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and at the Hungarian GP. He is set to also drive for McLaren in the Mexican and Brazilian Grand Prix FP1 sessions.
Most notably however, Leo was vying for a seat with the Haas F1 Team, testing the VF-25 at the Circuito de Jerez over two days, although he was at the end not chosen, with the departing Esteban Ocon's seat, going to Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Camara.
He is now set, along with Vanthoor, Jensen and Lynn to drive the McLaren MCL-HY in its maiden WEC season, while also evidently retaining a foot in the Formula One world, as McLaren's reserve driver.
He also will be the next in a recent line of Formula 2 drivers choosing WEC as their next career step, with Frenchmen Victor Martins and Theo Pourchaire competing for Alpine and Peugeot respectively in the Hypercar class, this season.
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