McLaren appoint Leonardo Fornaroli & Pato O'Ward reserve drivers for 2026 Formula 1 season

The team also unveiled the full roster and racing plans for its 2026 McLaren Driver Development Programme.

McLaren Racing announced that Fornaroli will step into the Reserve Driver role in 2026 in parallel with his responsibilities as a Test and Development Driver within the McLaren Driver Development Programme.

The Italian will support the Formula 1 team through simulator and testing work as the sport enters a major regulatory reset.

Leonardo Fornaroli arrives in the role following his FIA Formula 2 Title, with McLaren underlining the importance of his contribution during what it described as an unprecedented era of technical change. His expanded programme is designed both to accelerate his development and to provide additional depth to McLaren’s Formula 1 operations.

Alongside Fornaroli, Pato O'Ward will continue as Reserve Driver while maintaining his primary campaign with Arrow McLaren in the NTT IndyCar Series. O’Ward has fulfilled reserve and testing duties for McLaren in recent seasons and remains part of the team’s Formula 1 support structure for 2026.

McLaren also confirmed the full 2026 Driver Development Programme, which will feature Christian Costoya, Matteo De Palo, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ella Häkkinen, Ella Lloyd, Pato O’Ward, Ella Stevens, Dries Van Langendonck and Richard Verschoor. The programme is overseen by Chief Business Affairs Officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi and is structured to develop drivers across Formula 1, IndyCar and McLaren’s forthcoming World Endurance Championship entry.

Verschoor will compete in the European Le Mans Series with DUQUEINE Team in LMP2, alongside a broader testing programme across McLaren Racing’s portfolio as preparations continue for the team’s WEC debut. De Palo will graduate to FIA Formula 3 with Trident Motorsport after finishing Vice Champion in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2024.

In F1 Academy, Ella Lloyd will continue with McLaren and Rodin Motorsport after claiming Rookie of the Year in her debut season, while Ella Stevens will also race with Rodin Motorsport in the F1 Academy McLaren Oxagon entry. McLaren confirmed that its second F1 Academy car, introduced in partnership with NEOM, reflects an increased commitment to expanding opportunities for women in motorsport.

Van Langendonck will step up from Formula 4 testing into a full single seater campaign, competing in the British Formula 4 Championship and the Formula Winter Series with Rodin Motorsport. Costoya will also graduate from karting into Formula 4, racing in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, the Euro 4 Championship and the Formula 4 Middle East Championship. Häkkinen will undertake an intensive Formula 4 testing programme in preparation for a competitive 2027 season.

Alunni Bravi said the breadth of the programme underlined the strength of McLaren’s talent pipeline, explaining: “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.”

Fornaroli described the appointment as a significant milestone, saying he was “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,” and thanked Zak Brown, Andrea Stella and Alunni Bravi for the opportunity.

O’Ward added that continuing as Reserve Driver alongside his IndyCar commitments would allow him to build further experience, noting that his previous Formula 1 testing had already proved valuable to his development.

The 2026 line up confirms McLaren’s intention to maintain a broad, multi series development structure as it prepares for new Formula 1 regulations and expands its presence across global motorsport.