APEX RACEWIRE Newsroom
Leonardo Fornaroli secures McLaren Hypercar seat for 2027 WEC debut
The reigning junior category champion will transition to the FIA World Endurance Championship alongside his Formula 1 reserve duties.
By Lesley Bakker - 2026-10-19T14:29:00.000Z - 3 min read
Reigning single-seater standout Leonardo Fornaroli will make his FIA World Endurance Championship debut in 2027 after securing a seat with the McLaren Hypercar Team. The twenty-one-year-old Italian will pilot the McLaren MCL-HY while simultaneously maintaining his responsibilities as the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 reserve driver next season. This dual programme highlights the operational reach of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, which has guided his transition through the junior ranks following consecutive title victories in FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2.
Fornaroli joins a growing roster of young talent stepping into the top tier of endurance racing during its current expansion phase. His back-to-back championships in the junior categories placed him in an elite cohort of competitors who achieved the same feat, drawing comparisons to drivers such as Oscar Piastri. Those performances secured his position within the manufacturer's development setup, where he provided support to the Formula 1 operation throughout the 2026 season before earning this latest promotion to the Hypercar division.
Reflecting on the announcement, Fornaroli expressed appreciation for the pathway provided by his current setup. Joining the sportscar lineup represents a significant evolution in his professional trajectory, enabled directly by the framework of his reserve driver commitments. Representing the manufacturer in the World Endurance Championship and at the historic twenty-four-hour endurance classic constitutes a major milestone, and he voiced readiness to tackle the physical and tactical demands of the endurance discipline during his rookie campaign.
McLaren Hypercar Team Principal James Barclay highlighted the qualities that influenced the driver selection, pointing to the rarity of capturing both junior titles in rapid succession. Barclay noted that achieving success in Formula 3 is a substantial benchmark, but following it up by conquering the Formula 2 field as a rookie underlines exceptional natural capability. Those underlying traits of speed, composure, and reliability during high-pressure race weekends convinced management that he would complement the established sports car professionals already confirmed for the squad.
The young Italian joins an already impressive driver lineup that features established endurance race winners. Previously announced competitors Mikkel Jensen and Alex Lynn, alongside the two-thousand-and-twenty-four World Endurance Drivers' Champion Laurens Vanthoor, form the core group tasked with developing and racing the prototype during its inaugural campaign. This combination of seasoned sports car expertise and incoming single-seater talent provides the team with a balanced roster ahead of the upcoming championship calendar.
The arrival of Fornaroli underlines a broader trend across the championship where factory squads increasingly look to fresh single-seater graduates to bolster their endurance driver pools. As endurance racing experiences a surge in manufacturer participation and high-profile entries, teams require drivers capable of adapting quickly to multi-class traffic, complex energy management systems, and demanding stints. Fornaroli will begin preparations for his debut ahead of the opening round, balancing simulator sessions and testing alongside his ongoing Formula 1 paddock duties.