Three years with the Bull, now comes the Papaya. Riccardo Ianniello closes the Lamborghini chapter and prepares to compete in the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe with Target Racing. Not just a livery change, but a clear step up to an international championship bringing together drivers from across Europe on some of the continent's most technical and demanding circuits.

Born in 2007, from Rome, Ianniello will share the McLaren with Estonian driver Jeets Gregor, forming a young but determined pairing. The calendar leaves no room for weakness: Monza opens the season in late May. Ianniello's home circuit, but also where pressure bites hardest. Spa-Francorchamps follows in June: 7 km of elevation changes, Eau Rouge, weather that can turn everything upside down in minutes. Misano in July, tight and technical, where every meter matters. Barcelona in October, the ultimate benchmark for setup work, where the data tells no lies. Portimão closes the season: extreme elevation, blind apexes, one of Europe's most challenging layouts.

These aren't circuits to pad out a calendar. These are circuits where you see who's ready and who isn't.

After three seasons in the Lamborghini Huracán, including the 2023 Italian GT Endurance Championship and runner-up in the 2025 GT Sprint, Ianniello is making a complete switch. No longer the Lamborghini programme, but a McLaren championship requiring immediate adaptation, different racecraft, a fresh approach.

The McLaren Trophy Europe is one of the most competitive one-make GT series. For eighteen-year-old Ianniello, it's the chance to race beyond Italian borders, on legendary circuits and against drivers he's never faced.

Target Racing's choice isn't random. The team has gone for a young, quick pairing with something to prove. Ianniello brings GT racing experience, an Italian title, and the ability to get up to speed quickly—qualities he showed in 2025 when, after 2024 was cut short by injury, he came straight back and finished runner-up in Sprint.

Jeets Gregor, his Estonian teammate, completes the lineup. Together they'll need to learn the circuits and gel as a team. Time to make mistakes will be limited. Margin for error, even less.

"Every season is a new opportunity. The car changes, the team changes, but the goal stays the same: grow, learn and go fast," Riccardo said. Simple words, but they capture an approach that's already delivered results. No big promises, no headlines. Just work, focus and the hunger to compete.

2026 looks set to be a year of transition, but also opportunity. Ianniello steps out of the Lamborghini comfort zone, leaves the Italian championship he knows inside out, and commits to a new challenge. With Target Racing, with Gregor, in McLaren colours and five rounds on Europe's most iconic circuits.

Monza awaits. The season starts there.