McLaren signs Brando Badoer to driver development programme

McLaren Racing has announced that it has signed up 18-year-old Italian charger Brando Badoer to its driver development programme.

Badoer – the son of former F1 driver Luca Badoer – currently competes in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). But after a 12-month period of evaluation, McLaren has opted to exercise the option it held on the Italian.

After cutting his teeth in karting, Brando made his single-seater debut in the 2022 Formula 4 UAE Championship, while also racing in the Italian Formula 4 series in the same year.

In 2023, he continued in both championships, scoring five podiums in the Italian series.

During the 2024 pre-season, Brando achieved three podiums in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, before moving up to FRECA with front-running Dutch outfit Van Amersfoort Racing.

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To date, the 18-year-old has achieved seven podiums with five second-place finishes and two third places.

As part of his continued progression through the McLaren Driver Development programme, Brando will compete for Prema Racing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship alongside fellow McLaren Driver Development programme member Ugo Ugochukwu.

“I am excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme,” commented Badoer. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to join a team with such a great racing heritage and a proven record for developing talent.

“Competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing will help continue my progression and I’d like to thank the whole team at McLaren for their support. I can’t wait to learn from the team’s guidance and get racing in the team’s iconic colours."

McLaren F1 Business Operations Director, Stephanie Carlin, who leads the team’s driver development efforts welcomed Badoer to McLaren’s in-house programme.

“We’ve kept a close eye on him over the past year and have been impressed with his performances as a rookie in the competitive Formula Regional championship, so it made sense to exercise our option and bring him into the programme full-time,” commented Carlin.

“We look forward to seeing him racing in papaya and supporting his development as he moves to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing."

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