Italian driver Leonardo Fornaroli has wasted no time in making his mark on Formula 2. The reigning FIA Formula 3 Champion, who stepped up with Invicta Racing, claimed his first F2 pole at just his second race weekend in 2025.
The “very happy” Fornaroli spoke to the media,including Pit Debrief, post-qualifying.
Starting 2025 where Invicta left off
At the Bahrain International Circuit, Fornaroli was quick from the first push lap. The Italian set a 1:44.642 early on in the session, however, ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins briefly took over, utilising his experience to outclass the rookie momentarily. But Fornaroli kept his cool, delivering a stellar final lap of 1:44.008 to snatch back pole by 0.155 seconds.
“Yeah, very very happy about today. I knew the pace was strong, as we saw from testing. A lot of confidence today. Free Practice already felt good, even if it was another world compared to testing, but then when we went to qualifying, after Lap 1, I felt very good with everything. I was really confident to push to the max. So yeah, very happy about today.”
Image Credit: Invicta Racing
This amazing qualifying performance from Fornaroli and Invicta marks an immediate pick-up from where the pair finished in 2024. The respective championships won by the pair helped the team to hit the ground running in 2025.
“We (Invicta and Fornaroli) worked so much in testing, and we had a very good base to start this weekend so yeah, I think it’s because of that.”
Fornaroli on the move up to Formula 2
Luke Browning mentioned the demanding transition from F3 to Formula 2 machinery. Claiming both series are “two ends of the spectrum.” The reigning Formula 3 champion emphasised this point, stating it isn’t easy. However, he credits Invicta’s simulator work for helping him to adapt quickly.
“Yeah, I worked a lot through the winter with Invicta, especially in the simulator, and it helped me a lot,”
“In qualifying I didn’t have to change much. The car is not different to F3, but I had to change the most in the races because, you know, bigger tyres, more power, heavier car — all these things make trickier the tyre management. So that was the big, big adjustment I had to do.”
Image Credit: Invicta Racing
Consistency is key for Fornaroli
While a maiden F2 win would be a dream, Fornaroli understands better than anyone that consistency is crucial in motorsport. The driver who won the F3 championship without securing a race win in 2024 remains focused on finishing the race in the points. A win would be a bonus for him.
“It will be nice, of course, but I will just try to have the same mindset of last year — to be always there and take home as many points as possible because it’s the key today. In the feeder series now, the level is so high that to be sure to have a good result at the end of the year, you have to be always there scoring points and try to make as less mistakes as possible.”
