F1 News: McLaren star's 'most likely' next destination revealed as silly season continues

Leonardo Fornaroli

McLaren star's 'most likely' next destination revealed as F1 silly season continues

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Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Wednesday 12 August 2026 12:30

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McLaren F1 test and development driver Leonardo Fornaroli's 'most likely' next destination has been revealed as the F2 champion looks to step up to a full-time spot on the grid.

Following his F2 triumph last season, Fornaroli signed up to a development role at McLaren, allowing him to gain some much-needed F1 experience throughout 2026.

The young Italian has already been behind the wheel of the MCL40 on two occasions this year, driving in FP1 sessions in Barcelona and Hungary when replacing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

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In his short time behind the wheel in F1, Fornaroli has impressed. However, with Norris and Piastri already on the books at McLaren, the team has no room to offer him a full-time seat in the sport right now.

Haas 'most likely' option for Fornaroli

All hope might not be lost, though, with BBC Sport's Andrew Benson touting Haas as a potential destination for the 21-year-old.

In a recent column, Benson described Haas as the 'most likely' destination for Fornaroli if he is to make the switch to full-time F1 racing, with Esteban Ocon's place 'under threat'. Fornaroli recently completed a two-day test with the team at Jerez.

"There are not that many seats up for grabs next year and the driver market is on hold for a large part until it becomes clear whether Max Verstappen is going to leave Red Bull," Benson wrote.

"If Fornaroli is to get a seat, though, it seems most likely it would be at Haas, where Esteban Ocon's place is under threat."

Benson does caveat this, however, by stating that Haas also have Ryo Hirakawa and Jack Doohan on their books.

Brown: Fornaroli worthy of F1

McLaren certainly rate Fornaroli highly, with CEO Zak Brown revealing his confidence in the Italian at the British Grand Prix last month.

“Yeah, I think there are,” Brown explained, via F1.com, when asked if there were opportunities for Fornaroli to make the step into F1 full-time. “He’s a great talent.

"He’s been doing some testing with us, and hopefully he’ll secure an F1 seat. I think he’s definitely worthy of being in F1.”