McLaren announced the news for the Formula 1 Hungarian GP, confirming a new update package for the MCL40 and the absence of Oscar Piastri in FP1 this Friday, 24. The Australian will hand over his car to the current Formula 2 champion, Leonardo Fornaroli, who will make his second free practice appearance for the team this season.
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Fornaroli had previously driven the McLaren in FP1 of the Spanish GP, replacing Lando Norris, and finished the session in fifth position, the best result among the seven rookies who participated in the activity. This time, the Italian will help the team evaluate the new parts brought to Hungaroring.
The package includes a new floor and other aerodynamic updates. Additionally, exclusively during FP1, McLaren will test an experimental rear wing that was initially planned to be evaluated at the Austrian GP. The component will only be used in the first practice session and, for now, is not expected to be definitively adopted at either the Hungarian GP or the Dutch GP.
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In a statement, the team explained the focus of the new developments. “With braking and cornering being areas of focus on high-downforce circuits such as Hungaroring and Zandvoort, the update package to be introduced between this race and the first after the summer break should improve performance on tracks with these characteristics. The team acknowledges that the upcoming races do not represent ideal conditions for the MCL40. However, while not everything will be resolved at once, we remain optimistic about the upcoming updates for the second half of the season.”
Fornaroli celebrated the opportunity to return to the McLaren car. “I’m looking forward to driving the MCL40 in FP1 this weekend at Hungaroring. Each session is an opportunity to learn more, gain confidence, and contribute to the team’s program. I’ve spent the last few weeks working intensely at Woking, both in the simulator and at the McLaren Performance Hub, to be as prepared as possible. I am very grateful to everyone at McLaren for their support and I can’t wait to hit the track on Friday, enjoy every lap, and help the team.”
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