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McLaren will have their full focus on the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to secure either of their drivers the world championship, but in Qatar, they had one eye on what was happening in Formula 2.
This season has seen a flurry of exceptional talents promoted from F2 into Formula 1, but the driver market has been far less accepting of young drivers heading into 2026.
Arvid Lindblad looks set to join Racing Bulls, but he will be in a class of one when it comes to Formula 1’s rookies next season.
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However, McLaren might just have picked up the most promising young driver around to add to their talented roster.
After nurturing Lando Norris throughout his junior career, and then famously poaching Oscar Piastri from Alpine’s academy, McLaren look set to sign the 2025 Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli.
Journalist Chris Medland has now shared more details about the move for the young Italian, including why McLaren might now delay any announcement before the last race of the campaign.
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Speaking on the Pit Pass F1 podcast after the Qatar Grand Prix, Medland said: “One team, I’m not sure if they’re sticking with their plan for this coming week, and driver announcements are McLaren.
“Now don’t get too excited, but they have a reserve driver to announce for next year, and it’s the new Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, who secured the F2 title this weekend, did the job with second place today in Qatar.
“That means he’s gone back to back as well, just like Gabriel Bortoleto before him.
“Bortoleto was a McLaren-affiliated driver as well last year before he joined Sauber, so it’s a feather in the cap, I think, in McLaren picking up some good talent as well.
“Oscar Piastri, [who was] obviously the driver before both of those to go back-to-back in F3 and F2, so there’s a bit of a pedigree there around McLaren-affiliated drivers.
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“But Fornaroli, a young Italian talent he’s been very consistent this year and has managed to follow up last year’s title success with another.
“He wasn’t part of any F1 setup, and there was a big clamour for his signature. I’m led to believe a number of teams were showing an interest in him, but McLaren have secured his services for next year, which will see him be one of their reserve drivers, and they’ve had a few vacancies for that.
“So it’s a good opportunity for him, and it strengthens the McLaren lineup, but whether they still announce that this week, I don’t know, because right now, I guess it’s not the most positive focus that they have with the way things have played out in Qatar.”
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Norris will have to give up his car during FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which gives him a slight disadvantage heading into the most important race of his Formula 1 career.
No announcement has come yet on who will jump into his seat, but after Alex Dunne left McLaren in pursuit of joining Red Bull, it would make sense for McLaren to let Fornaroli make his F1 debut this weekend.
Speaking to F1 Oversteer earlier in the season, F1 TV commentator Alex Jacques said it would only be a matter of time until someone signed Fornaroli, and McLaren have jumped at the opportunity.
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In recent weeks, McLaren expanded their F1 Academy roster by signing Ella Stevens and daughter of two-time champion Mika Hakkinen, Ella Hakkinen.
However, they let Dunne go alongside Ugo Ugochukwu, Brando Badoer and Martinius Stenshorne.
It’s not going to be easy for Fornaroli to convince McLaren that he should replace Norris or Piastri.
But Piastri has been linked with leaving McLaren, and Fornaroli could follow in the footsteps of Gabriel Bortoleto, who also won back-to-back F3 and F2 titles before earning a seat at Sauber.
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