Fornaroli to drive Piastri's McLaren in Budapest FP1
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 21, 2026
Fornaroli's McLaren role
McLaren development and reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli will get his second Formula 1 practice run when he steps into Oscar Piastri’s car for FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. The 21-year-old Italian is filling one of the team’s rookie obligations this season, and the outing gives him another chance to build mileage in the car after his first Formula 1 weekend appearance in Barcelona. McLaren used that first run to put Fornaroli in Lando Norris’ car in FP1, and this time he takes over Piastri’s McLaren at the Hungaroring. The move fits the team’s plan to rotate rookie drivers through mandatory practice sessions while keeping its main lineup intact for the rest of the weekend. Fornaroli joined McLaren in December after back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles, and the team has already trusted him with a full practice session in a high-profile race weekend. That background makes his return a clear next step rather than a one-off fill-in. McLaren wants a clean read on its reserve driver, and Fornaroli gets another live session in a competitive setting.
McLaren's upgrade plan
McLaren is also bringing a sizeable upgrade package to Hungary, with a new floor and other aerodynamic parts among the changes. The team is using the weekend to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, which puts added value on every lap it turns at the Hungaroring. Fornaroli’s FP1 run will give McLaren another look at its updated machinery in a controlled environment, especially as the team tests a developed version of its experimental rear wing in practice only. That rear wing will not be rolled out for full race use in Hungary, and McLaren does not plan to introduce it at the next round in the Netherlands either. The team’s approach shows a clear split between development work and race execution. It wants data from the updated package now, then a longer evaluation before any wider decision on the rear wing. Fornaroli’s role fits that plan. A rookie driver in FP1 lets McLaren gather information while protecting race drivers from losing track time later in the weekend. The team gets a useful benchmark on the new parts, and Fornaroli gets another chance to show he can handle a Formula 1 session at speed.
Fornaroli's preparation
Fornaroli said he has spent recent weeks preparing in McLaren’s simulator and performance hub, which gives him a longer runway into the Hungarian weekend than a simple last-minute call-up. That work matters because FP1 at the Hungaroring will ask him to deliver clean feedback while adapting quickly to the latest McLaren package. His role also carries broader importance for the team’s season plan. McLaren must field a rookie in four mandatory FP1 sessions this year, and Fornaroli’s outing takes care of another one of those requirements. The team has already shown it trusts him with meaningful practice duty, first in Barcelona and now in Hungary, after signing him in December following his championship run in Formula 3 and Formula 2. The progression is straightforward. McLaren has a reserve driver who arrives with recent junior-formula success, time in the simulator and a growing role in official weekend sessions. Fornaroli gets another step into Formula 1 machinery, while McLaren uses the hour to support its development push and its rookie-session obligations. That combination makes his return to FP1 one of the more practical moves in the team’s weekend plan.
