Fornaroli Set to Debut With McLaren F1 in Barcelona

Leonardo Fornaroli will live one of the most anticipated moments for any driver this weekend, the 21 year old Italian, part of McLaren's development program, will make his official debut on a Formula 1 weekend by taking part in the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix. The young driver will get into the MCL40 in place of Lando Norris and will use the number 67 for the occasion, an opportunity that comes after a meteoric rise through the junior categories: "He has completed several TPC tests with the 2023 car, but the MCL40 represents a different technical leap" the team stated.

Fornaroli was crowned Formula 3 champion in 2024 and Formula 2 champion in 2025 consecutively, an achievement that only a handful of drivers have achieved in history and that convinced McLaren to bring him into its development program. Currently, the Italian plays the role of simulator driver, supporting engineers both off and during the race weekend, a key role for data correlation and car development.

The free practice debut does not come cold, in recent months Fornaroli has completed several TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) tests at the wheel of the 2023 McLaren, running at Silverstone, Austin and also at the Barcelona circuit itself, a useful background to learn the first secrets of a Formula 1 car. It is true that the MCL40 represents a different technical leap compared to last year because the cars have changed profoundly, not only due to the reduction in downforce but also due to the different energy management.

For a driver who plays a key role on the simulator, having a real reference of the current car is essential, the FP1 test will allow him to fine tune the correlation between feelings, data and virtual models, making the development work that Fornaroli carries out behind the scenes during the season more effective. That is the main reason why McLaren has decided to give him this opportunity at the Circuit de Catalunya.

In Barcelona, McLaren will likely also bring some other new features and a test will still have to be carried out with the front wing that was introduced in Canada and then set aside, a good opportunity for the young Italian to gain more experience and familiarize himself with the current car on a real race weekend.

Fornaroli thus joins the list of young prospects who will have their baptism of fire in FP1 in Barcelona, alongside other drivers such as Frederik Vesti (Mercedes), Colton Herta (Cadillac) and Luke Browning (Williams).