McLaren have confirmed that Leonardo Fornaroli, the reigning Formula 2 champion, will take part in Free Practice 1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, replacing Oscar Piastri in the MCL40 for the 60-minute session.
The 21-year-old Italian, who won back-to-back F3 and F2 titles, made his FP1 debut with McLaren in Barcelona last month. This weekend's outing at the Hungaroring marks his second appearance at a grand prix weekend, giving the McLaren Development Driver further valuable track time as he grows into the role.
"I'm looking forward to driving the MCL40 in this weekend's Free Practice 1 at the Hungaroring," said Fornaroli. "Every session is a chance to learn more, gain confidence and contribute to the team's programme for the weekend."
Fornaroli, who also serves as McLaren reserve driver, has been preparing intensively at the team's Woking base. "I've been very busy in Woking over the past few weeks preparing this session in both the simulator and at the Optimum Nutrition McLaren Performance Hub, to make sure I'll be as ready as I can," he added.
Alongside Fornaroli's practice run, McLaren will introduce a new upgrade package for the Hungarian weekend. The developments include a new floor assembly and additional aerodynamic parts, which will be evaluated during Friday's running. The team will also trial an evolved version of the experimental rear wing that was originally scheduled for testing at the Austrian Grand Prix. McLaren have confirmed the wing is not planned for full introduction in Hungary or at the following round in the Netherlands.
Randy Singh, Senior Director of Racing at McLaren, described the package as an important step in a tightly fought season. "Heading to Hungary, we're looking forward to a very different challenge at the Hungaroring and the final race before the summer shutdown," Singh said. "We have an upgrade package arriving this weekend too, and in such a competitive season every development is important so it will be great to gather further understanding on how those parts perform throughout Free Practice."
The Hungarian Grand Prix is the final round before Formula One's mandatory summer break, making this weekend a critical moment for teams to set their trajectory for the second half of the championship.
Sources
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f2-champion-fornaroli-set-for-next-fp1-run-in-hungary-as-mclaren-roll-out-valuable-updates.770yvF9ufpMPwYeLToYQO0
