New FIA F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli finally agreed a deal with a Formula 1 team prior to securing the title Sunday’s deciding race in Qatar.
Sources have indicated that a contract was signed over the weekend, although there has been no official confirmation of where he is going.
Fornaroli has reached the top rung of the sport without the support of any F1 junior programmes, beating multiple drivers who are associated with GP teams.
He won the 2024 F3 title with Trident despite not winning a single race over his two years in the category.
He moved up to F2 this year with Invicta, and an impressive rookie season has seen him win three sprints and one feature thus far, boosting his reputation after his winless F3 career. He clinched the title with second place in the Qatar feature race on Sunday.
He thus repeated the feat achieved by his friend Gabriel Bortoleto, who won the F3/F2 titles in 2023-’24 – with the same Trident/Invicta combination – and has since enjoyed a strong F1 rookie season with Sauber.
After clinching the title he said: “I have an idea of what’s happening with my future. My focus still remains on the last round of F2 in the meantime. My manager and management are doing an amazing job, and I’m very confident for what’s next. And I hope you will be able to see what will happen in few weeks’ time.”
Multiple sources have linked Fornaroli with McLaren, which would be a logical choice given that the team has cut its links with Alex Dunne and has plenty of capacity to give an F2 graduate FP1 and TPC running, and to have someone permanently on hand as third driver.
He would in effect be a direct replacement for Bortoleto, who was released from his McLaren contract to take up the Sauber opportunity after the team had invested in his development.
While he appears to be set for McLaren the 20-year-old’s name has also been linked with Ferrari, and a deal that would involve TPC running and FP1 sessions, including seat time with Haas.
Adding a proven talent to the Maranello talent pool would be an interesting move given that Oliver Bearman is being lined up to eventually follow Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, and Fornaroli’s presence would give both teams more future options.
However where it doesn’t quite add up is that F3 star Rafael Camara is regarded as the team’s main long-term prospect, with an F1 development programme being built around the Brazilian alongside his F2 commitments in 2026. The team also has Dino Begonavic in its ranks.
Fornaroli is known to have been in the frame for a third driver role at Audi, and while it’s thought that he has signed a long-term deal elsewhere he has also been mentioned in connection with doing the upcoming Abu Dhabi rookie test with Sauber.
Adam Cooper F1 