Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli has reportedly sealed a deal to begin working with a Formula 1 team. The Italian racer, 20, is one of only a few racers who have won the Formula 3 and F2 titles in consecutive season and, curiously, did so while not being a member of any F1 outfit’s driver academy.

The F3 and F2 grid are, each year, littered with drivers who are being supported, both financially and morally, by the official driver development programmes of F1 teams. Many then race with liveries inspired by those of the team that is funding their seat, for example Arvid Lindblad drives for Campos Racing but he is instantly recognisable on track as a member of the Red Bull academy, with a car bearing the company’s iconic dark blue and red colours.

But Fornaroli, racing for Invicta, has managed to reach the pinnacle of the FIA’s single-seater feeder ladder without any support from an F1 team. It is only now that he is looking to secure a future racing in F1 that the time has come for him to land a role with an outfit.

And it seems he has finally done exactly that. Veteran F1 journalist Adam Cooper reports claims from sources who “indicated that a contract was signed over the weekend” in Qatar, though it is not yet known exactly which mast to which the Italian has nailed his colours.

The two most likely destinations would be Audi, who have long held an interest in Fornaroli and who have yet to confirm a reserve driver for the 2026 season, and McLaren. The latter are on the lookout for a strong new development driver to help them fulfil their annual quota of rookie FP1 sessions after Irish F2 driver Alex Dunne was released from their programme in October.

Joining McLaren would guarantee Fornaroli plenty of time behind the wheel of F1 cars in at least four FP1 sessions in 2026, while he could add to that with some TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) running away from race weekends. The drawback would be the lack of opportunity to graduate into a race seat any time soon, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri among the very best drivers on the grid and both tied down to long-term deals.

Ferrari have also been linked with the young Italian but that seems to be a less likely option, given this years’ F3 champion Rafael Camara is a bright young starlet coming through the system while Oliver Bearman remains affiliated with Ferrari. The Brit races for Haas in F1 but is being lined up as the long-term successor to the Scuderia seat currently occupied by Lewis Hamilton.

Audi have held talks with Fornaroli before and, should he join that project, he would unite with racer Gabriel Bortoleto who also won both the F3 and F2 titles in consecutive seasons. The Italian could also be a potential long-term successor to 38-year-old Nico Hulkenberg.

Speaking about his future in Qatar, Fornaroli said: “I have an idea of what’s happening with my future [but] my focus still remains on the last round of F2 in the meantime. I’m very confident for what is next and I hope you will be able to see what will happen in few weeks’ time.”