Rising star Leonardo Fornaroli has revealed an insight into what he has been getting up to as part of McLaren's driver development programme, as his search for a Formula 1 seat continues.
The reigning Formula 2 champion joined McLaren's development programme after sealing the junior category title last year, before being confirmed as its official reserve driver for 2026.
It has seen the young Italian work closely with the F1 outfit and its drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. He has travelled across the world with McLaren, making various first practice and TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) outings.
His first practice appearances this season have so far come in Barcelona and Hungary, on two occasions where the 21-year-old impressed.
When not driving, he has worked hard supporting the Woking-based team in the simulator, with McLaren heavily supporting his development.
Fornaroli is still searching for a route onto the F1 grid but has enjoyed his time with McLaren and its junior programme.
"A lot going on. We’ve done a lot of sim sessions to prepare every TPC and FP1, and we did some Friday support work [around F1 weekends] as well, which I found very helpful for my development.
"Then, of course, all the TPC we’ve done, good steps have been made through every session, and my first FP1 in Barcelona, which was a very nice experience.
"I didn’t have a lot of laps to push, but the goal was to help the team, providing them with good data for the aerodynamics.
"I want to say a big thanks to McLaren, and everyone who is working in the driver development programme, for their support. Everyone is very professional in the team, they love their job, and they’re trying to make me enjoy all the processes and all the work."
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