McLaren confirm new driver signing as Oscar Piastri replaced at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | F1 | Sport
McLaren have announced that Formula Two world champion Leonardo Fornaroli has joined their driver development programme. The 20-year-old, who will take on a test and development role as part of his involvement in the programme, was snapped up by the Woking team after claiming four victories across the 2025 F2 season to beat Jak Crawford and Richard Verschoor to the title.
Verschoor, who won this year’s F3 World Cup, is also joining the McLaren driver development programme, with the F1 giants signing 15-year-old FIA Karting European champion Christian Costoya as well. McLaren welcomed the trio to their team with a statement on Tuesday morning.
McLaren explained: “All three talented drivers have shown great race craft with multiple wins this season, alongside a number of impressive performances in their respective championships.
“It is a key priority that we continue to develop our talent pipeline to provide options for all of our expanding racing teams. 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.”
And Fornaroli, who won the F3 title in 2024, added: “I’m incredibly proud to be joining the McLaren driver development programme after another successful year on track.
“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.”
Fornaroli will no doubt arrive in Woking with aspirations of one day representing McLaren in F1.
The 2025 F1 season is due to end this weekend, with McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in contention to win the title. Norris leads the F1 standings ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix and is 16 points ahead of his McLaren team-mate, who is third.
But four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen will be aiming to ruin the McLaren party in the Middle East as he is currently second in the standings, just eight points adrift of Norris.
Meanwhile, Piastri will be forced to give up his seat during the first practice session in Abu Dhabi due to F1 regulations. During the F1 season, teams have to hand over each of their cars on two occasions in FP1 to a rookie. And Piastri will be replaced by Pato O’Ward in Abu Dhabi.
