FIA World Endurance Championship

Leo Fornaroli joins McLaren’s Hypercar project

The reigning Formula 2 champion is the latest recruit for the manufacturer’s planned FIA WEC entry.

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McLaren has confirmed reigning Formula 2 champion Leo Fornaroli as its latest recruit for the manufacturer’s Hypercar programme.

The announcement, reported by the FIA WEC, concerns McLaren’s planned entry in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. It is a driver signing, not a race result.

A rising single-seater champion moves to Hypercar

The 21-year-old Italian won the FIA Formula 3 title in 2024 and the FIA Formula 2 crown in 2025, according to the FIA WEC report. McLaren said he is part of its Driver Development Programme and has supported the manufacturer’s Formula 1 efforts this season.

Fornaroli will join McLaren Hypercar Team alongside previously announced recruits Mikkel Jensen, Laurens Vanthoor and Alex Lynn. Jensen is identified in the report as the 2024 FIA World Endurance Champion.

McLaren builds its planned WEC roster

McLaren said it had been testing its MCL-HY Hypercar while assembling a six-driver line-up. With Fornaroli’s addition, the roster was described as two-thirds complete.

The manufacturer announced 18 months earlier that it would step up to the top tier of the FIA WEC the following year. Its most recent participation at the highest level of the discipline produced an outright Le Mans victory on the McLaren F1 GTR’s debut in 1995, the report said.

Announcement, not a race classification

The FIA WEC report published on October 19, 2026, presents Fornaroli’s recruitment as part of preparations for McLaren’s planned debut season. It contains no race results, qualifying outcomes or championship standings for this announcement.

Newsroom

Fornaroli’s signing adds a driver with consecutive Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles to McLaren’s developing Hypercar line-up, as the team prepares for its planned WEC entry.

Byline

Federico Buffo

Sport and memory

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