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Oscar Piastri will sit out FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as McLaren fields junior driver Leonardo Fornaroli for the second time this season.
The highly-rated Italian is looking for a potential seat on the grid in 2027, having also tested with Haas in a year on the sidelines from full-time racing after winning the Formula 2 title last year.
Oscar Piastri to miss Hungarian GP FP1 as Fornaroli steps in
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Piastri’s brief time away from the track will be one of four mandatory sessions in which McLaren will have to field a rookie driver during an FP1 session, with Fornaroli stepping into the breach at the Hungaroring.
The 21-year-old has undertaken TPC testing with both McLaren and Haas as he searches for a potential opportunity on the grid in 2027, with June’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix having been his first official appearance at a Formula 1 weekend.
“I’m looking forward to driving the MCL40 in this weekend’s Free Practice 1 at the Hungaroring,” Fornaroli said.
“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 1 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.”
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Haas confirms FP1 driver swap as Hirakawa steps in
Elsewhere, Haas reserve Ryo Hirakawa will be back out once more for another FP1 session on Friday, as he gets behind the wheel of Ollie Bearman’s VF-26.
Two-time World Endurance champion Hirakawa, one of Toyota GAZOO Racing’s factory drivers, has combined his sports car racing with single-seater outings in the highly-competitive Super Formula series in Japan in recent years, and previously undertook FP1 outings with McLaren and Alpine before his link-up with Haas.
It will be his eighth FP1 appearance in Formula 1 in all, having also appeared at the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this season.
“Firstly, I’d like to thank TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and TGR Haas F1 Team for the opportunity to get back behind the wheel during FP1 in Hungary,” said Hirakawa.
“It will be my second time in the VF-26 after a difficult FP1 session in Austria, where aero tests and a red flag prevented me from completing some push laps.
“Next week I’ll have the chance to do some push laps, which is very exciting. The track is really challenging, it’s quite small, narrow and has a lot of low- and medium-speed corners.
“It’ll be very nice to push the limits and to provide good feedback to the team, which will help them prepare a strong car setup for FP2 and the remainder of the weekend.”
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