The news
Leonardo Fornaroli will join the McLaren Hypercar Team for 2027, per @GNews F1. The confirmation gives the new McLaren Hypercar Team a reigning F2 champion in its Hypercar lineup for competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027. The seat is a full-season commitment with the factory endurance operation as McLaren stands up its program at the top level of endurance racing.
Fornaroli will race the MCL-HY Hypercar as part of that debut effort. His assignment places him in the development loop for McLaren's debut season at the top level of endurance racing. The role connects driving duties with program buildup through the inaugural campaign preparation phase. Early involvement allows familiarity with machinery and procedures to develop alongside the team itself.
Alongside the Hypercar seat, Fornaroli stays on as reserve and third driver for 2027. The arrangement retains him in the F1 reserve pool while returning him to full-time competition. Continuity of that kind keeps the reigning F2 champion embedded in F1 operations across the season.
Prior context
Prior to the confirmation, his 2026 development included TPC running alongside extensive simulator work. That combination formed the core of his time within McLaren's F1 environment during the year. The work supported integration with operational routines and technical processes. The balance kept development active across controlled running and off-track preparation.
Track exposure during 2026 also included two FP1 appearances. Those outings added live-session experience to the simulator and TPC foundation. The progression maintained a link between development tasks and weekend operations, with each setting testing a different working context.
Reigning F2 champion status frames the step into a full-time seat. The Hypercar move follows a period defined by reserve responsibilities rather than a full campaign. The shift restores a race-week rhythm while preserving an F1-facing role.
What it means
The move links McLaren's F1 development ladder directly to its endurance program. A driver developed within the F1 structure now carries that background into the Hypercar lineup. The connection makes the ladder an active pathway between programs rather than a separate track.
A full-season commitment establishes early continuity for a first-year team. Stability in the seat supports consistent feedback as systems, routines and working methods take shape. For an operation standing up its factory effort, that steadiness shapes the opening phase. That foundation can simplify evaluation as mileage accumulates and the calendar approaches.
Retaining Fornaroli in the F1 reserve pool preserves depth around F1 operations. The structure allows McLaren to keep a reigning F2 champion within reach of F1 duties while assigning him to endurance racing. Embedded presence and full-time competition therefore proceed in parallel.
What reporters are saying
The confirmation has been reported across endurance and open-wheel coverage, per @GNews F1, per @Motorsport F1 and per @autosport. Reporting centers on the full-season seat with the new McLaren Hypercar Team in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027. Coverage also notes the continued reserve and third-driver role alongside the MCL-HY assignment.
Accounts describe the MCL-HY program as McLaren stands up its factory endurance operation. The emphasis remains on lineup construction for the debut season at the top level of endurance racing. Attention in the reporting stays on program buildup rather than additional roster detail. The reporting thread treats continuity and program buildup as the central themes of the announcement.
What to watch next
McLaren has yet to confirm the rest of its Hypercar driver roster. Further announcements will define the complete lineup around the confirmed full-season seat. Until then, the remaining seats remain the open element of the program. The shape of that supporting cast will determine workload distribution across the season.
The team now heads toward 2027 preseason testing and program buildup. Hypercar test mileage will be a central indicator as preparation advances. Which 2027 FP1 weekends he is assigned will also clarify how the dual program is balanced.
Companion to our earlier report: Leonardo Fornaroli confirmed to McLaren Hypercar Team for 2027.