McLaren wants to loan out Fornaroli; Haas looks like a serious option for the Italian

A few weeks ago, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said he sees Leonardo Fornaroli as a future Formula 1 driver. That’s why the British outfit would cooperate if the reigning Formula 2 champion can gain experience elsewhere. McLaren explicitly wants to loan out Fornaroli and not, as previously with Gabriel Bortoleto, release him entirely to another team—in that case Sauber (now Audi).

It therefore wasn’t too big a surprise last week that Fornaroli conducted a test with Haas. The American team has since confirmed that the youngster made a strong impression during the TPC (Test of a Previous Car). “I don’t know where this leads,” Ayao Komatsu of Haas told, among others, GPblog on Thursday.

Fornaroli is now an option to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas in 2027. But the Frenchman isn’t worried about his contract, as he said after a question from GPblog in Austria: “As a driver, my job is to focus on performance on the track. The rest just comes with it. Honestly, we have bigger problems with the car at the moment than that. Those are the things we need to solve first.”

It’s important to mention that it’s by no means a foregone conclusion that Fornaroli will come or that Ocon will leave. Rafael Camara is also eyeing the seat at Haas. Moreover, Komatsu confirmed after a question from GPblog that more talented drivers from other F1 teams may be tested by the Americans in the near future.