Fornaroli inherits fastest lap point following Lindblad penalty; Villagómez cleared

Post-race penalties at Belgian GP drop Lindblad to 17th in F2 Sprint; Villagómez has his time penalty overturned.
Photo Credit: Formula 2
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Following Saturday’s 2025 F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, post-race investigations by the Stewards have led to significant changes in the final classification due to penalties. Most notably, Arvid Lindblad has been penalised for a collision at the restart, while Rafael Villagómez has had his in-race penalty revoked following a successful review.

Lindblad penalised for collision with Beganovic

Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad has received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Dino Beganovic at Turn 1 on Lap 14, shortly after the second Safety Car restart.

The incident occurred when Lindblad, in Car 4, made minor contact with the rear of Car 8 as both drivers negotiated the apex of La Source. The contact, deemed avoidable by the Stewards, prompted an investigation that involved video footage and statements from both drivers and team representatives.

Although Lindblad stated he was attempting to avoid a collision rather than make a passing manoeuvre, the Stewards determined that the Briton was at fault for the contact. The breach was classified under Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 (d) of the FIA International Sporting Code.

Consequently, the Stewards issued a five-second time penalty under Article 39.3 (a) of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations, along with one penalty point on Lindblad’s licence, bringing his total to five for the season.

This demotes Lindblad from ninth to 17th in the final order, stripping him of both points and the bonus for fastest lap.

Fornaroli awarded Fastest Lap point

Originally, Lindblad had secured the fastest lap and was set to claim the bonus point, having finished inside the top ten. However, due to the time penalty, he no longer qualifies for the additional point.

As a result, the fastest lap bonus now goes to Leonardo Fornaroli, who not only claimed victory in the Sprint Race but also posted the quickest lap among the classified top ten finishers. This boosts the Italian’s total points haul from the event and further strengthens his position in the Championship battle.

Villagómez cleared after Safety Car timing review

In a separate ruling, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez has seen his in-race five-second penalty annulled after the Stewards determined the original infringement did not occur within the parameters of Article 40.7 of the FIA F2 Sporting Regulations.

Villagómez was initially penalised for allegedly failing to maintain the minimum delta time across three consecutive sectors under Safety Car conditions. However, upon reviewing data and video evidence post-race, it was confirmed that the infractions occurred after the Safety Car had been called in.

Given this timing, the previously issued in-session penalty was deemed invalid and removed, enabling the Mexican driver to move from 17th to 12th in the revised classification.

Revised Final Classification – Spa-Francorchamps F2 Sprint Race at 2025 Belgian GP

  1. Leonardo Fornaroli (Fastest lap)
  2. Victor Martins
  3. Gabriele Minì
  4. Oliver Goethe
  5. Pepe Martí
  6. Roman Staněk
  7. Alexander Dunne
  8. Ritomo Miyata
  9. John Bennett
  10. Jak Crawford
  11. Joshua Dürksen
  12. Rafael Villagómez
  13. Cian Shields
  14. Max Esterson
  15. Sebastián Montoya
  16. Dino Beganovicc(+5s penalty for track limits)
  17. Arvid Lindblad (+5s penalty for causing a collision with Beganovic)
  18. Sami Meguetounif (DNF)

Not classified:

  • Kush Maini
  • Amaury Cordeel
  • Richard Verschoor
  • Luke Browning

Implications for the Championship

The reshuffle of positions at the Belgian GP Sprint has direct implications for the F2 Championship standings. Fornaroli’s extended points gain places him in stronger contention, especially following Richard Verschoor’s retirement. Meanwhile, Lindblad’s penalty proves costly not only in points but in his momentum after a competitive showing.