McLaren confirm full 2026 F1 driver line-up as Lando Norris gets new team-mate | F1 | Sport

Lando Norris will have a new team-mate for the 2026 season after McLaren confirmed the appointment of Leonardo Fornaroli as an official reserve, alongside test duties. The Italian prospect will share those responsibilities with IndyCar sensation Pato O’Ward, who continues in his current role.

Fornaroli joined the McLaren junior team at the end of the 2025 Formula Two campaign after winning the championship ahead of Jak Crawford and Richard Verschoor. The 21-year-old won the Formula Three title the previous year, sealing the crown with immense consistency despite failing to win a race.

Verschoor, whose third-place finish in the F2 standings earned him a spot in McLaren’s development program, will compete for DUQUEINE Team in the LMP2 category of the European Le Mans Series, while working on “a testing programme across McLaren Racing’s portfolio”, which involved IndyCar and WEC entries.

“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 on Thursday.

“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, Andrea and Alessandro for this opportunity.”

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, who is in charge of McLaren’s driver development pipeline, added: “The team are pleased to confirm its Driver Development Programme line-up alongside their racing and testing programmes for 2026. 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.”

Fornaroli is now well-placed to benefit from the FP1 rookie regulations in 2026. Last year, those duties were fulfilled by Alex Dunne and O’Ward, but the Irish racer shocked the paddock late in the season when he opted to sever ties with Zak Brown‘s squad.

“From the options that I knew I had, the decision we made was one that had to be made to be in F1,” he told Balls.ie earlier this month. I think it’s as simple as that; it was actually my decision. When my dad and I were talking about it, he wasn’t 100% sure. Normally, he’s the one who is 100% sure! For me, I felt like it was the right decision. I’m more than comfortable with that. I think, moving forward, we should be in an alright place.”