McLaren exercises option to sign son of former F1 driver

McLaren has exercised its option on Brando Badoer to sign the 18-year-old to its Driver Development programme.

Badoer is the son of Luca, who made 50 starts in F1, driving for Lola, Minardi, and Forti in the 1990s, as well as making two appearances for Ferrari as a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa, a decade after his previous GP appearance.

It is the second time McLaren has signed an option on Brando, who will compete in Formula 3 in 2025 with Prema Racing, joining another McLaren development driver in the series in Ugo Ugochukwu.

Badoer said: "I am excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme. It’s a fantastic opportunity to join a team with such a great racing heritage and a proven record for developing talent.

"Competing in the 2025 Formula 3 championship with Prema Racing will help continue my progression, and I’d like to thank the whole team at McLaren for their support. I can’t wait to learn from the team’s guidance and get racing in the team’s iconic colours."

Since breaking into single-seaters in 2022, Badoer has competed in a range of series, notably this year the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, and the Formula Regional European Championship, supported by Van Amersfoort Racing in the latter.

Badoer has scored seven podiums, including five times as a runner-up, to lie fifth in the standings with one round remaining.

Badoer's continued development will be overseen by McLaren's F1 business operations director, Stephanie Carlin, who said: "We’ve kept a close eye on him over the past year and have been impressed with his performances as a rookie in the competitive Formula Regional championship, so it made sense to exercise our option and bring him into the programme full-time.

"We look forward to seeing him racing in papaya and supporting his development as he moves to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing."