Leonardo Fornaroli won the Formula 3 championship in 2024 and followed it with the Formula 2 title in 2025, yet the 21-year-old Italian has spent the 2026 Formula 1 season watching Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri race for McLaren while he serves as the team’s reserve driver. The situation has left Leonardo Fornaroli openly frustrated, but McLaren has now provided a new opportunity: a place in its 2027 World Endurance Championship programme, including a debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Despite his remarkable record in junior single-seater racing, Leonardo Fornaroli has not yet secured a full-time Formula 1 seat. Speaking to Motorsport, the Italian admitted how difficult it has been to remain on the sidelines while his McLaren colleagues compete.
“Every weekend I’m at the circuit as a reserve driver, I’m very jealous when I see Lando and Oscar racing,” Leonardo Fornaroli said.
His frustration is not directed at Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri personally. Instead, it reflects his desire to compete after winning consecutive championships in Formula 1’s main feeder categories. Throughout 2026, Leonardo Fornaroli has worked in the simulator, participated in tests and completed selected free practice sessions without being able to contest a Grand Prix.
For a driver who spent the previous season fighting for victories and championships, adapting to a role away from competitive racing has been particularly challenging.
Leonardo Fornaroli followed Oscar Piastri’s path but missed out on Formula 1
Leonardo Fornaroli’s route through the junior categories has been particularly impressive. In 2024, he claimed the FIA Formula 3 championship without winning a single race, relying on remarkable consistency and a decisive overtake at the final corner of the season-ending race at Monza.
The following year, Leonardo Fornaroli became Formula 2 champion in his rookie season, completing an extraordinary sequence of back-to-back titles.
Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto achieved the same feat, winning the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in consecutive seasons before progressing to full-time Formula 1 seats. For Leonardo Fornaroli, however, that final step has yet to materialise.
As previously reported by Fanpage.it, Leonardo Fornaroli impressed Haas during tests with an older Formula 1 car. However, Rafael Câmara emerged as the leading candidate for the seat expected to become available when Esteban Ocon leaves the American team at the end of 2026.
McLaren had also shown a willingness to loan Leonardo Fornaroli to another Formula 1 team to ensure he could race. No agreement was reached, however, and the available opportunities on the 2027 grid have effectively disappeared.
The situation highlights the challenge facing even highly successful junior drivers. Winning both Formula 3 and Formula 2 in consecutive years has previously provided a route into Formula 1, but Leonardo Fornaroli has discovered that a championship-winning record does not automatically guarantee a place on the grid.
McLaren confirms Leonardo Fornaroli for 2027 WEC and Le Mans programme
McLaren has now found a solution that will allow Leonardo Fornaroli to return to competitive racing without ending his involvement in Formula 1. The Italian will remain the team’s F1 reserve driver in 2027 while also competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with McLaren’s new MCL-HY Hypercar.
The programme includes the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Leonardo Fornaroli will make his debut alongside McLaren’s expanding endurance racing operation. The manufacturer’s announced driver group includes Mikkel Jensen, Alex Lynn and Laurens Vanthoor.
For Leonardo Fornaroli, Le Mans represents a particularly special opportunity. The Italian revealed that he has followed the famous endurance race for years, often staying awake until late at night to watch the action. He had never imagined that he would have the chance to participate so early in his racing career.
McLaren’s decision gives the 21-year-old a competitive programme in one of motorsport’s most demanding categories while preserving his connection with the Formula 1 team. Rather than spending another season exclusively preparing for opportunities that might never arrive, Leonardo Fornaroli will once again have the chance to compete in races.
Leonardo Fornaroli continues McLaren F1 development with Mexico and Brazil FP1 outings
Alongside his new endurance racing commitments, Leonardo Fornaroli’s preparations for Formula 1 continue. The Italian recently completed 58 laps and 339 kilometres at Circuit Paul Ricard in the 2025 McLaren MCL39, gaining further experience in contemporary Formula 1 machinery.
Leonardo Fornaroli is also scheduled to return to the cockpit of the current McLaren MCL40 during the opening free practice sessions at the Mexican and São Paulo Grands Prix. These appearances will allow him to continue developing his Formula 1 experience before the end of the 2026 season.
The forthcoming sessions form part of McLaren’s efforts to keep its reserve driver involved in the team’s Formula 1 activities, even as his competitive future begins to take shape in endurance racing.
The opportunity to secure a full-time Formula 1 seat remains open for Leonardo Fornaroli in the longer term. McLaren’s decision to retain him as reserve driver ensures that he will continue working within the championship while developing his experience elsewhere.
For now, after a year spent largely watching other drivers compete, Leonardo Fornaroli finally has a new opportunity to fight for results on the circuit. His 2027 programme with McLaren will give him the chance to return to racing at the highest level, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans providing one of the biggest challenges of his career so far.
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