Italian crowd. Red flares in the grandstands. And Leonardo Fornaroli right at the centre of it.
The Invicta Racing driver started third for the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race at Monza. He finished first. Fourth win of the season. His home race, his home statement.
Beganovic defends, chaos behind
Dino Beganovic launched well from pole, covering Turn 1 and holding the early lead. Sami Meguetounif slotted in behind, but not for long. Fornaroli muscled through at the Roggia chicane to take second.
Further back, Joshua Duerksen bounced across the kerbs at the second chicane, losing momentum and dropping from fourth to sixth. Then came the first drama. Kush Maini spun into the gravel at Curva Grande after trying to go around Alexander Dunne. The DAMS Lucas Oil car was stuck. Safety Car called immediately.
Restart, round two
Lap 5 restart. Beganovic braced himself, but Fornaroli attacked straight away. Too hot into Turn 1, front tyres locked, chicane cut. He had to fall back behind the Hitech car.
No panic. He regrouped. Lindblad used the moment to pounce on Meguetounif for third. The race was forming into a three-car fight at the front.
By Lap 8, Fornaroli made it count. Braked late, clean this time, and dived down the inside of Beganovic into Turn 1. Lead secured. The Italian crowd roared.
Moves through the field
Lindblad cleared Beganovic a lap later, promoting the Campos rookie into second place. The Swede’s pace began to fade. Worse followed when Meguetounif and Dunne tangled at Turn 2, both ending up in the gravel and out of the race.
Behind the chaos, Richard Verschoor was carving through from 14th on the grid. He picked off Jak Crawford on Lap 12 to move into seventh. His MP Motorsport teammate Oliver Goethe tried to join the fight, attempting a wide move on Beganovic at Turn 1. It didn’t stick. He spun trying to rejoin, falling to 16th.
Safety period turns the screw
On Lap 18 Max Esterson pulled off at Parabolica, forcing a Virtual Safety Car. The pause was brief, but it was enough to shuffle momentum.
Verschoor pounced at the restart, catching Roman Stanek cold into Turn 4 to snatch fifth place. Another gain for the Dutchman after an already impressive climb.
At the front, Lindblad edged closer. He had DRS open, fastest lap on Lap 15, and looked ready to attack. But the margins at Monza are tiny. Lap 20, he ran wide at Ascari. That mistake broke the tow. Game over.
Closing stages
Fornaroli crossed the line 1.6 seconds clear. Lindblad second. Beganovic third on the road, but not for long.
Stewards had spotted a Virtual Safety Car infringement. Five seconds added. The Hitech driver dropped to sixth once the times updated.
That handed Joshua Duerksen a career-best third place for AIX Racing. Verschoor’s recovery ended in fourth, Stanek fifth. Beganovic down to sixth, Minì seventh, Browning rounding out the points in eighth.
Fornaroli on the win
“Winner of the Sprint Race here at home, very happy with this race,” Fornaroli said afterwards. “It was really not easy, because after the first Safety Car restart I had a huge flat spot so that didn’t help during the race. I felt super good with the car and I really want to thank Invicta for the hard work. Tomorrow it will be a bit more tricky but I will do my best.”
Top 10 results
- Leonardo Fornaroli (Invicta Racing)
- Arvid Lindblad (Campos Racing)
- Joshua Duerksen (AIX Racing)
- Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport)
- Roman Stanek (Invicta Racing)
- Dino Beganovic (Hitech TGR)
- Gabriele Minì (PREMA Racing)
- Luke Browning (Hitech TGR)
- Josep María Martí (Campos Racing)
- Sebastián Montoya (PREMA Racing)
Standings after Monza Sprint
Fornaroli now holds 164 points in the FIA Formula 2 standings. Verschoor climbs to second on 140. Crawford slips to third with 137. Browning fourth with 126, Dunne fifth on 124.
- Drivers’ Top 5
- Leonardo Fornaroli – 164
- Richard Verschoor – 140
- Jak Crawford – 137
- Luke Browning – 126
- Alexander Dunne – 124
Teams’ Top 5
- Invicta Racing – 245
- Campos Racing – 198
- Hitech TGR – 187
- DAMS Lucas Oil – 163
- MP Motorsport – 163
Next up
The FIA Formula 2 Feature Race at Monza starts Sunday morning at 09:45 local time. Longer distance, pit stops in play, and more points on the table. Fornaroli has the momentum, but Monza rarely plays it straight.