Lando Norris will have a new team-mate at the start of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri being replaced for FP1. It’s been a muted start to the season for McLaren, who were utterly dominant in 2025 but have fallen behind the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari in the current pecking order. They are yet to claim a single victory this year despite securing a handful of podium finishes.
The upcoming race in Budapest will represent McLaren‘s final chance to win before the three-week summer break. Norris currently leads Piastri in the standings and will go into the weekend as their best hope of claiming victory at the Hungaroring. However, his Australian team-mate remains more than capable of mixing it with the very best drivers on the grid.
That said, he will miss the first hour of practice with McLaren deciding to field junior driver Leonardo Fornaroli in FP1.
The highly-rated Italian is looking for a potential seat on the grid in 2027, having also tested with Haas after winning last year’s Formula Two title.
All teams must field a rookie driver in four practice sessions throughout the season, with Fornaroli stepping in for McLaren this weekend.
It will be his second session with the Woking squad, having also driven in FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last month.
In a statement, Fornaroli said: “I’m looking forward to driving the MCL40 in this weekend’s Free Practice One at the Hungaroring.
“It’s going to be another fantastic opportunity to continue my development with the car and build on the valuable work we completed together with the team in Barcelona.
“Every session is a chance to learn more, gain confidence and contribute to the team’s programme for the weekend.
“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 ready as I can.
“I’m really grateful to everybody at the McLaren Mastercard Formula One Team for all the support they’ve given to me so far.
“I can’t wait to get out on track on Friday, have fun and make the most of every lap to help the team.”