Fornaroli set for Haas test: Is McLaren working toward a 2027 F1 debut?

A brief statement from Haas wrote: "TGR Haas F1 Team has the capacity to test and appraise drivers through its TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) program. Leonardo Fornaroli, the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Champion, has subsequently been offered the opportunity to drive its VF-25 at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, Spain, 17-18 June, with TGR Haas F1 Team reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa also in attendance at the test.”

It’s no secret that Haas is considering which drivers will race for them next season. Oliver Bearman is set to become the first driver, as GPblog reported last week. That Esteban Ocon will return next season is far less certain, although it has not been explicitly stated that the Frenchman would leave either.

This website understood that due to its ties with Toyota, Haas is considering signing a Japanese driver, for which Yuki Tsunoda would be the only logical candidate. Rafael Camara also sees a spot at Haas as appealing, GPblog understands. However, the Ferrari junior is not the first option.

With Fornaroli's test in Jerez, the Italian also seems to be in the running for the seat alongside Bearman. McLaren team principal Stella said last weekend to, among others, this website that his team is exploring where in F1 the Formula 2 champion can gain experience next season.

“Leonardo is certainly an asset for Formula 1 in the future. Leonardo, we want him to drive, certainly. In the future, he may drive for McLaren Racing, but I think we should work together with Leonardo to explore possibilities in Formula 1,” Stella began to GPblog, among others.

Stella said he was highly impressed with Fornaroli, both personally and professionally. “He's actually a very interesting character. He looks timid, but by far is the most proactive driver in asking the engineers, he goes around with his notebook, takes several notes, and as soon as he has an idea, he shares it. So it's a very interesting character and then when he gets in a car, being it a simulator, being it in the TPC testing car or here in an FP1 session on a current car, he's faster.”

As an example, Stella cited how the 21-year-old performed with McLaren during practice in Barcelona. “We gave Leonardo some duties in the first part of his FP1 session, because he needed to do some work for us on the rakes. It's actually the rakes to try and understand the behavior of the front wing. It was difficult because he needed to go in constant speed while everyone else was at normal speed and he did it with a great level of professionality and great level of precision in terms of these procedures, because there's a lot of work on the steering wheel to achieve the right speed and stay away from traffic.”

Moreover, Stella was impressed by how fast Fornaroli was. “Then when we gave him a couple of sets, one used, one new, he was fast. And I have to say that in the lap time he did, you should take away two tenths of a second because he loses two tenths of a second down the straight because with this power unit, you need to get some familiarity and as soon as you have to manage some traffic, the state of charge of the battery is not maximum and you're going to be punished down the straight. So, very happy with the altitude, the speed, the consistency.”