Leonardo Fornaroli is set for a Haas Formula 1 test at Jerez this week, giving the McLaren development driver another timely chance to turn a strong Barcelona cameo into a serious 2027 audition.
According to Motorsport.com, the reigning Formula 2 champion is due to drive Haas machinery from the previous-car testing programme on Wednesday and Thursday, with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa also expected to run for the American team.
Fornaroli’s 2027 case keeps building
The test follows Fornaroli’s first official F1 weekend appearance with McLaren in practice at Barcelona, where he finished fifth in FP1 and within eight tenths of George Russell’s benchmark. That showing already gave McLaren something to note on a weekend ReadMotorsport covered in its Barcelona Friday practice report.
What makes the Haas run interesting is the timing. Fornaroli is tied to McLaren’s development structure, but Andrea Stella has made clear the Italian is viewed as a genuine F1-level prospect and that opportunities outside Woking may have to be explored if no McLaren seat opens quickly.
Haas, meanwhile, has already placed its 2027 driver decision under early scrutiny. The team has been weighing its future options for months, with ReadMotorsport previously looking at why Haas’ 2027 call could arrive earlier than expected.
That does not make this a driver announcement, and Fornaroli remains a McLaren asset for now. But Jerez gives Haas a proper look at one of the more credible young candidates on the market, while giving Fornaroli another chance to show that Barcelona was not a one-off.
For a team still trying to turn its long-term plan into sustained progress after the reset previewed in ReadMotorsport’s Haas F1 2026 season guide, that is exactly the kind of data point worth banking before the 2027 market starts to harden. It also lands at a moment when Haas’ Austria reset and Aston Martin’s upgrade pressure show how quickly F1’s midfield story can move from future planning to immediate evidence.
