McLaren announce major new signings after surprise driver exit

McLaren has announced the signing of newly-crowned FIA Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli to its driver development programme, as part of three new signings.

Italian Fornaroli secured the F2 title last weekend in Qatar to go back-to-back with his 2024 FIA F3 crown, something the likes of current McLaren driver Oscar Piastri did in 2020/2021 as well as Gabriel Bortoleto, the 2024 F2 and 2023 F3 title-winner.

Fornaroli is joined in the driver development stable by 2019 Macau F3 winner Richard Verschoor and 15-year-old FIA karting European champion, Spanish racer Christian Costoya.

Costoya is to make his single-seater debut in the upcoming 2026 F4 Middle East championship at Yas Marina.

Fornaroli and Verschoor replace current F2 driver Alex Dunne, who surprisingly left the stable earlier in the year despite having two FP1 outings in Formula 1, replacing Lando Norris.

Dunne stepped in for Norris in Austria and Italy, performing well, but abruptly left in October to pursue other opportunities.

McLaren's driver development team now includes Pato O’Ward, Dries van Langendonck, Ella Lloyd, Matteo De Palo, Ella Stevens, Ella Häkkinen, Leonardo Fornaroli, Richard Verschoor and Christian Costoya.

“McLaren Racing are delighted to welcome two of Formula 2’s current leading drivers in thisyear’s champion Leonardo Fornaroli and former championship contender and fellow front-runner Richard Verschoor, as well as proven karting champion, Christian Costoya, to the McLaren Racing Driver Development Programme," said Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the Chief Business Affairs Officer of McLaren Racing.

“All three talented drivers have shown great race craft with multiple wins this season, alongside a number of impressive performances in their respective championships. By welcoming Christian to the programme alongside long-standing member, Dries Van Langendonck, we now also have two of the most promising drivers coming out of karting.

"It is a key priority that we continue to develop our talent pipeline to provide options for all of our expanding racing teams. We look forward to working closely with all our drivers in 2026 as they continue their individual development at various stages of their career with the support of the programme through a wide range of testing and progression opportunities across all of our racing series."

Fornaroli, who was otherwise unattached as an F2 driver said that: "I’m incredibly proud to be joining the McLaren Driver Development Programme after another successful year on track.

"Winning both the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles has been an important step in my journey, and I’m motivated to take the next step in my development through the programme as I work toward my ultimate goal of racing at the highest level.

“I’m very grateful to McLaren for this opportunity, and to everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far. I can’t wait to get started and work closely with the rest of the team.”