Leonardo Fornaroli joins McLaren’s Le Mans hypercar team for 2027 debut
The 21-year-old Italian, a back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion, will race in the World Endurance Championship while keeping his role as McLaren's Formula 1 reserve driver.
McLaren has signed Leonardo Fornaroli to its hypercar team for the 2027 World Endurance Championship season, according to the 24 Hours of Le Mans organisers. The 21-year-old Italian will make his series debut in the McLaren MCL-HY, joining drivers Mikkel Jensen, Alex Lynn, and 2024 WEC Drivers’ Champion Laurens Vanthoor. He will retain his position as McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 reserve driver while competing in the championship.
Fornaroli has risen rapidly through single-seater racing, winning the FIA Formula 3 championship in 2024 and Formula 2 as a rookie in 2025—a back-to-back achievement matched by only four drivers previously, including McLaren’s own Oscar Piastri. These titles earned him entry to the McLaren Driver Development Programme, where he has supported the Formula 1 team in 2026.
Rise through the junior categories
The Italian driver’s progression through competitive junior racing has impressed McLaren’s management. James Barclay, Team Principal of the McLaren Hypercar Team, described Fornaroli as an exceptional talent, noting that winning Formula 2 as a rookie underscored his natural ability. “His speed, consistency and maturity at such a young age helped him achieve a huge amount in the junior categories,” Barclay said, adding that these same attributes made him valuable to the hypercar project.
McLaren’s driver lineup
Fornaroli becomes part of McLaren’s debut endurance-racing squad.
The path ahead
Fornaroli expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity in a statement. “Joining the McLaren Hypercar Team is an incredibly exciting next step in my career,” he said, noting that his reserve-driver role had opened the door to the endurance-racing opportunity. “To represent McLaren in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a huge honour.” The driver will attempt the famous French race for the first time in 2027 as part of McLaren’s hypercar programme.
This article was compiled by the CityLifeBytes editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
