McLaren announces the arrival of Brando Badoer in its young driver program

McLaren F1 has announced the arrival of Italian Brando Badoer in its driver development program, who will be fielded in Formula 3 next year.

If you were already watching F1 before 2010 or the hybrid era, Badoer’s name probably rings a bell. More or less pleasant memories if you supported, or not, Scuderia Ferrari.

Brando is the son of Lucas Badoer, former Scuderia Ferrari driver, who came to replace a seriously injured Felipe Massa during the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Brando Badoer, now 18 years old, participates in FRECA (Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine) with Van Amersfoort Racing. To date, he is in fifth place in the overall driver standings with seven podiums and 174 points to his name. The young Italian driver will climb one step further towards F1 next season by driving in F3 with Prema.

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Badoer remercie McLaren

In the McLaren press release, Brando Badoer expressed his satisfaction and motivation for future seasons.

“I am delighted to join the McLaren driver development programme. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team with such racing heritage and a proven track record in developing talent. Competing in the Formula 3 championship in 2025 with Prema Racing will help me continue my progress and I would like to thank the entire McLaren team for their support. I can’t wait to learn tips from the team and race in the team’s iconic colors.”

Stephanie Carlin, McLaren’s director of F1 commercial operations and therefore the development programme, added:

“We are excited to welcome Brando to our driver development program. We followed him closely last year and were impressed with his performance as a rookie in the competitive Formula Regional championship, so it made sense to exercise our option and bring him into the program full-time. We look forward to seeing him race in Papaya and supporting his development as he prepares to compete in the Formula 3 championship with Prema Racing.”

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