McLaren have made a big call on the eve of the new Formula One season.

Formula 1 Testing in Bahrain - Day 3McLaren have made a call to bring a new driver into their ranks (Image: Getty)

McLaren have announced a new addition to their driver development programme ahead of the new 2026 season. It comes after a successful 2025 campaign, which saw McLaren top the standings in the Constructors’ Championship, as well as delivering a world title for Lando Norris.

The goalposts have shifted somewhat ahead of the 2026 season because of the new engine regulations, with McLaren’s rivals, Mercedes and Red Bull, being tipped to enjoy better campaigns. But ahead of the season opener in Australia next month, McLaren have been putting the finishing touches to their roster.

That includes the arrival of Gregoire Saucy as a development driver, with the 26-year-old having impressed throughout his racing career. A statement from the Surrey-based outfit said: “McLaren Racing has announced that Gregoire Saucy has joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme, the team’s talent pipeline.

“Gregoire, 26, from Jura, Switzerland began karting at the age of three in Develier. In 2015, he made his single-seater debut when testing in Formula Renault 2.0. before racing in the Italian F4 Championship as a guest driver for Jenzer Motorsport in 2017 and 2018. He raced his first season in ADAC Formula 4 in 2019 for R-ace GP, finishing on the podium in Zandvoort and Sachsenring. In the same year, he drove in Italian F4 for three rounds.”

It continued: “For 2020, Gregoire secured seats in the Eurocup Formula Renault Championship with ART Grand Prix and in the Toyota Racing Series with Giles Motorsport. The following year, Gregoire was crowned Champion of the Formula Regional Championship. Keeping up his single-seater momentum, Grégoire competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with ART Grand Prix during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Formula 1 Testing in Bahrain - Day 3
McLaren are gearing up for a big 2026 season (Image: Getty)

“In 2024, Gregoire made the switch to endurance racing, competing for United Autosports in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGT3 category. During the 2025/26 season of the Asian Le Mans Series, Gregoire ran alongside Mikkel Jensen, who was recently announced as McLaren Endurance Racing’s first driver for the 2027 WEC season. Earlier this year, Gregoire finished fourth in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona.”

Before concluding: “In 2026, Gregoire will compete in the ELMS LMP2 series and other IMSA rounds with United Autosports. He will also test within the McLaren Racing portfolio.”]