Fornaroli covered a total of 77 laps across Wednesday and Thursday, a distance of 425 kilometres. It was also his very first experience of the Texan circuit.“It’s always amazing to drive a Formula 1 car,” Fornaroli said afterwards. “I’m grateful to McLaren for giving me another chance to take the MCL60 out on track.”

The Italian notes that he’s becoming more confident both in the car and in his new surroundings within the team. “I’m getting more comfortable with the car and also the team. The run plan was a step up from my last test in Silverstone. We got to do some practice starts, which continued to give me a better understanding of what it takes to drive an F1 car in a session. Everyone in the DDP programme continues to support and push me with these tests as I continue my development.”

Fornaroli was also enthusiastic about the circuit itself. “This was my first time driving around COTA. I really enjoyed it, and I am already looking forward to my next opportunity in an F1 car. Until then, I’ll be supporting the F1 team in the simulator for the Monaco GP."

During the test, McLaren ran a varied program consisting of short and long runs, formation laps, and start procedures. Conditions fluctuated significantly: the first day was hot and humid with occasional light rain, while the second day was notably cooler.

For Fornaroli, it marked another important step in his development program at McLaren. It was his third official TPC test (Testing of Previous Cars), after earlier outings in Barcelona and Silverstone. Following his test in Austin, the Italian heads back to England for simulator duties for the Monaco GP. If necessary, Fornaroli can still be flown in to serve as a stand-in during the race weekend, GPblog understands.

Meanwhile, McLaren's Oscar Piastri has received the unusual honour of having a newly-discovered wasp species being named after him - a 98-million-year-old fossil from the Cretaceous Period discovered in Myanmar to be exact.

In the paper published in the June edition of Palaeoworld, the researchers explained that the species was named in honour of Piastri's achievements in Formula 1. The name was chosen by Jonault, one of the study's authors, who proposed the tribute to Piastri.

The paper states: "The specific epithet honors Mr. Oscar Piastri for his achievements in Formula 1, and because the color of the amber piece recalled to the first author the iconic McLaren orange. It is to be treated as a noun in the genitive case."