Fornaroli extends F1 case with Haas VF-25 test at Jerez
NXTbets Pro | Published On: June 16, 2026
Fornaroli tests Haas
Leonardo Fornaroli will get another Formula 1 look on Wednesday and Thursday when he tests Haas’s 2025 VF-25 at Jerez, Spain, in the team’s Testing of Previous Cars program. Haas uses the program to evaluate drivers, and reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa is also set to take part in the two-day run. The session gives Fornaroli another chance to add miles in F1 machinery at a time when his stock is rising fast. The 21-year-old Italian arrives in Jerez only days after his first Formula 1 practice appearance for McLaren in Barcelona ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, a run that put him on the radar across the paddock.
In Barcelona, Fornaroli drove Lando Norris’ McLaren and finished fifth fastest in the session, six-tenths of a second behind Oscar Piastri. McLaren said he impressed the team with his pace and professionalism. Andrea Stella also praised Fornaroli’s speed, consistency and professionalism, and said he is “certainly an asset for F1 in the future.” That endorsement matters because Fornaroli has already put together a strong run of opportunities in current machinery. He has completed Testing of Previous Car sessions for McLaren at Silverstone and the Circuit of the Americas, and the Haas outing adds another route for him to keep building a case for a Formula 1 race seat. The Jerez test comes at a useful moment for both sides. Haas gets a look at a driver who has moved quickly through the junior ranks. Fornaroli gets another chance to show he can handle the demands of an F1 program in live running and official team work.
McLaren backs Fornaroli
McLaren has plenty of reasons to keep close watch on Fornaroli. He is the team’s reserve driver and the reigning Formula 2 champion, and he won back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in 2024 and 2025. That kind of progression has already put him on a short list of drivers with a clear upward curve. Stella has said Fornaroli could be a future option for McLaren Racing, and the praise after Barcelona backed that view with direct words about his pace and professionalism. McLaren sees him as a driver who can handle the work and keep improving. The team also has a long view of its own lineup, and it does not have an obvious opening for Fornaroli in 2027 because Norris and Piastri are both on long-term contracts.
That makes every extra test session important. Fornaroli has already done McLaren’s previous-car runs at Silverstone and the Circuit of the Americas, and the Haas test extends that education in a different garage with different procedures and a different car. It also shows how quickly his Formula 1 profile has advanced since his junior title runs. A driver who was still collecting championships in Formula 3 and Formula 2 last year now has a practice debut, private testing mileage and a Haas evaluation on his record. Fornaroli has not won a race seat yet, but he has built a case through results, consistency and repeated work in Formula 1 equipment. The next step is simple. Keep delivering when teams put him in the car.
