Formula 2 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli and Richard Verschoor Joins McLaren Driver Academy

The McLaren Formula 1 Team have announced that 2025 FIA Formula 2 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli and multiple-time race winner Richard Verschoor have joined their Driver Development Programme.

Fornaroli joins the team fresh from a special weekend in Lusail, where he won the F2 title with one round to go, thanks to his nine podiums, which include four victories.

It means the Italian has now followed in the footsteps of current McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto in winning the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in back-to-back seasons.

Fornaroli will now take the next step in his career, which will see him join McLaren’s stable of young drivers, and he will be joined by Verschoor, who fought him closely for the title this season.

The Dutchman goes into the final round of the 2025 campaign third in the Drivers’ Standings, and in Qatar this past weekend, won for the eighth time in F2, tying the current Championship record.

Verschoor who also won the 2019 Macau Grand Prix will now join the papaya team’s programme in this next phase of his career.

Speaking about his announcement, Fornaroli spoke of how excited he was to continue his development with the support of McLaren.

“I’m incredibly proud to be joining the McLaren Driver Development Programme after another successful year on track,” said Fornaroli. “Winning both the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles has been an important step in my journey, and I’m motivated to take the next step in my development through the programme as I work toward my ultimate goal of racing at the highest level.

“I’m very grateful to McLaren for this opportunity, and to everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far. I can’t wait to get started and work closely with the rest of the team.”

Verschoor joined Fornaroli in expressing his gratitude to McLaren for the opportunity to be part of their team.

“I’m delighted to be part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme. It’s a special moment, and I’m grateful for McLaren’s support in allowing me to continue my development within the programme. I’m excited to get going and work hard with the team in the coming months.”

McLaren’s Chief Business Affairs Officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi also added:

“McLaren Racing are delighted to welcome two of Formula 2’s current leading drivers in this year’s Champion Leonardo Fornaroli and former Championship contender and fellow front-runner Richard Verschoor, as well as proven karting champion, Christian Costoya, to the McLaren Racing Driver Development Programme.

“All three talented drivers have shown great race craft with multiple wins this season, alongside a number of impressive performances in their respective championships. By welcoming Christian to the programme alongside long-standing member, Dries Van Langendonck, we now also have two of the most promising drivers coming out of karting.

“It is a key priority that we continue to develop our talent pipeline to provide options for all of our expanding racing teams. We look forward to working closely with all our drivers in 2026 as they continue their individual development at various stages of their career with the support of the programme through a wide range of testing and progression opportunities across all of our racing series.”

From F1 news to tech, history to opinions, F1 Chronicle has a free Substack. To deliver the stories you want straight to your inbox, click here.

For more F1 news and videos, follow us on Microsoft Start.

New to Formula 1? Check out our Glossary of F1 Terms, and our Beginners Guide to Formula 1 to fast-track your F1 knowledge