McLaren signs F2 champ Fornaroli as 2026 F1 reserve, pairs him with O’Ward in two-pronged plan
McLaren has bulked up its insurance policy for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, promoting newly crowned Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli to official reserve driver for 2026 alongside long-time understudy Pato O’Ward, as part of a refreshed Driver Development Programme.
It’s a tidy bit of forward planning. Teams rarely need their stand-ins, but when they do, it’s always on zero notice. Think of Haas drafting in Oliver Bearman back in 2024 when Kevin Magnussen sat out Azerbaijan with a race ban. McLaren’s answer is to carry two fully briefed reserves who can slot in if illness, injury, or the unexpected sidelines one of its race drivers.
Fornaroli, 20, joined McLaren immediately after sealing the F2 title in Qatar, initially on a test and development deal with TPC outings. That’s now been upgraded. He’ll spend the year on an “intensive” programme of testing and simulator work while shadowing the F1 operation.
“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,” Fornaroli said. “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.”
He’ll share duties with O’Ward, who stays on in the job he’s held for the past two seasons while continuing to race for Arrow McLaren in IndyCar. The Mexican has accumulated a solid bank of F1 mileage in tests and FP1s, and McLaren rates his readiness highly.
“I am excited to continue in my role as Reserve Driver for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team, alongside my primary duties in the IndyCar series with Arrow McLaren,” O’Ward said. “I’ve learned an incredible amount testing and driving F1 cars over the past few years, so I am looking forward to this continued growth and development.”
The reshuffle comes as McLaren resets its junior ladder after several departures late in 2025, including Brando Badoer, Martinius Stenshorne and Ugo Ugochukwu, with Alex Dunne having moved on earlier in the year. In their place arrives a broader, multi-series spread: experienced hand Richard Verschoor, rising karter-turned-rookie Christian Costoya, and Ella Häkkinen beginning her single-seater testing path, among others.
The 2026 McLaren Driver Development roster:
– Leonardo Fornaroli – F1 reserve and test driver
– Pato O’Ward – F1 reserve and test driver
– Richard Verschoor – McLaren Racing test driver; racing LMP2 with DUQUEINE in the European Le Mans Series
– Matteo De Palo – FIA Formula 3 with Trident
– Ella Lloyd – F1 Academy with McLaren and Rodin Motorsport
– Ella Stevens – F1 Academy with McLaren and Rodin Motorsport
– Dries Van Langendonck – British F4 and Formula Winter Series with Rodin Motorsport
– Christian Costoya – Italian F4, Euro 4, and F4 Middle East
– Ella Häkkinen – F4 single-seater testing programme
McLaren’s programme is overseen by the team’s chief business affairs officer, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, who praised the depth of the refreshed line-up.
“The team are pleased to confirm its Driver Development Programme line-up alongside their racing and testing programmes for 2026,” he said. “Within this, it’s great for Leonardo to step up into the Reserve Driver role for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as part of his development with us, with Pato O’Ward also continuing in this role. We have selected an incredibly talented group of nine drivers, which shows the health of our talent pipeline. We are all excited to see their development this season as we create professional drivers across all aspects of racing, progressing towards Formula 1, IndyCar and the team’s upcoming World Endurance Championship entry.”
There’s a clear theme here: flexibility. With two reserves, McLaren can cover clashing calendars and logistics across continents, while giving its youngsters real seat time and a steady cadence of simulator work. Fornaroli gets a launchpad from a title-winning F2 season into the deep end of F1 operations; O’Ward remains the known quantity who can switch on quickly if needed.
It’s not flashy, but it’s smart. Reserve drivers are the sort of story that only matters on the day you need them. McLaren just doubled the odds that when that day comes, it won’t be a story at all.
