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McLaren Secures Leonardo Fornaroli as Italian Joins 2027 WEC Lineup
Highlights
- Leonardo Fornaroli stays McLaren reserve and third F1 driver in 2027
- Fornaroli joins McLaren’s new World Endurance Championship Hypercar programme
- 2026 involved in F1 testing, practice sessions, and simulator work
- First lap completed in McLaren Hypercar, preparing for upcoming tests
- 2027 WEC season includes 24 Hours of Le Mans participation
- Dual role balances F1 development and endurance racing challenges
McLaren confirms Leonardo Fornaroli will remain its reserve and third Formula 1 driver for 2027, while also racing in the team’s new World Endurance Championship Hypercar programme.
The dual commitment advances his F1 development and gives him race mileage in a top-flight series, supporting McLaren’s goals across multiple programmes.
Fornaroli’s 2026 workload spans Testing of Previous Cars sessions, two FP1 outings, and extensive simulator running, building familiarity with processes and correlation.
That foundation strengthens his readiness for call-ups and embeds him in McLaren’s operational rhythm, from procedures to feedback loops.
Endurance racing presents a fresh brief: multi-class traffic, strategic variance, and energy management in a competitive WEC landscape.
Fornaroli remains McLaren’s F1 reserve and third driver for 2027 while joining its debut WEC Hypercar campaign.
He has completed a first lap in McLaren’s Hypercar, sampling the hybrid deployment and combustion switch-over, with full tests planned before the programme’s debut.
Beyond driving, Fornaroli will contribute to development, working with a roster that blends veteran experience and youth, matched by McLaren’s engineering depth.
This approach arrives as McLaren faces pressure to convert progress into results across platforms, making resource alignment critical.
He completed his first lap in the McLaren Hypercar and now targets full tests before the programme’s debut.
After a year largely spent on standby, he is eager to return to wheel-to-wheel racing, having watched teammates compete from the garage.
The 2027 calendar includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a long-held target for Fornaroli, and a unique mental and physical challenge.
The twin programme should accelerate learning: simulator work and F1 systems knowledge inform endurance execution, while race stints refine racecraft under varied conditions.
The 2027 plan includes a Le Mans entry, accelerating his transition from reserve duties to front-line competition.
The decision also fits McLaren’s recent messaging on programme clarity and development priorities, following efforts to clear doubts around direction this season.
Visual Summary
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2027: Dual Racing Journey
Leonardo Fornaroli stays with McLaren — and takes on F1 reserve duties | WEC Hypercar debut in 2027!
Formula 1
3rd
Reserve
WEC
Hypercar
Debut
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Fornaroli’s Le Mans dream: racing in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans
F1 Sim
WEC Testing
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“Every lap, every session, every new challenge — I’m excited to grow with McLaren, wherever the journey leads.”
— Leonardo Fornaroli
— Leonardo Fornaroli
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
