Leonardo Fornaroli entered the final Formula 2 weekend already crowned Drivers’ Champion, yet he approached his last Qualifying session of the year with the same sharp focus that has defined his season. Despite having secured the biggest individual honour, he still carries Invicta Racing’s ambitions on his shoulders as the team continue to fight for the Teams’ Championship. Speaking to the media, including Pit Debrief, after F2 Qualifying at the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP, Fornaroli reflected not only on his session but also on the journey that brought him to this point.
Extracting a strong result from a complicated session
Fornaroli approached the afternoon intent on maximising his final Qualifying performance, even as the session disrupted his rhythm. He acknowledged the mixed nature of his run yet expressed clear satisfaction with how he pulled the lap together.
“I’m quite happy. It was a decent session. In Free Practice, I struggled a little bit more than usual, but I was confident going for Qualifying.”
He then explained how a late setup change placed him out of sequence with the field, leaving him to battle traffic at crucial moments.
“It was a good first set, everything clean. Then we wanted to change something on the setup for set two, but we waited a little bit too much and we were off-sync with every driver, which was not ideal. So all the warm-up procedures and also my final push were a bit messy with a lot of drivers around me.”
Even with those obstacles, he still produced a competitive final time. He admitted that a small error cost him, yet he remained pleased with the outcome.
“Also, my final push wasn’t super clean. I made a little mistake in the five, which compromised the lap time. But anyway, I’m still pretty happy with the result.”
As he assessed the session, he also highlighted the significant grip evolution between Practice and Qualifying, a factor that has challenged drivers throughout the weekend.
“Earlier, the grip change was always a lot between Practice and Qualifying. So, it’s not very easy to adapt in the first times, but then you get used to it and you just do it better.”
His ability to adapt has been one of the driving forces behind his title run, and his comments underline how strongly he has refined that skill.
Racing with a title secured but ambition intact
Despite the security of the Drivers’ Championship, Fornaroli refuses to ease off. He continues to demand the highest standards of himself and remains determined to finish the season strongly—for both himself and Invicta Racing. He made that clear as he reflected on his mindset entering the weekend.
“For sure, yes. A bit less pressure today, but still I’m very focused because I want to do a good weekend and [end] the championship with a good weekend.”
He then expanded on the balance between reduced pressure and ongoing ambition: “So, before you come in the weekend with a bit less pressure, but, you know, I’m a driver who always wants the best. So, I’m still focused on trying to do the best this weekend and end the season with a good weekend. So, yeah, it’s a good starting position.”
Fornaroli also described the unusual but welcome feeling of racing without a title at stake. “No, it’s a feeling that I want to experience. No, it depends a bit by your approach. Maybe someone can just fully relax. I already did my job, so I will just chill and enjoy this weekend.”
However, he emphasised that a relaxed mindset does not diminish his commitment.
“Yeah, as I said before, I’m thinking a bit less pressure on me, but still, I want to do a good weekend.”
With the Drivers’ Championship behind him, a strong result at Yas Marina would round off the year with even greater impact. He kept celebrations after Qatar to a minimum to ensure maximum focus for this decisive weekend.
“Nothing crazy, just a good dinner on Sunday,” he said when asked how he had celebrated taking the Drivers’ Championship title in Qatar. “I wanted to focus on the weekend, so celebration after when the season is over.”
Ready to race without restraint
Looking ahead to the race start, Fornaroli addressed the prospect of a dramatic charge into Turn 1 on Sunday during the 2025 F2 Feature Race at the Abu Dhabi GP. Answering a question from Pit Debrief, he described the freedom that now shapes his approach while still keeping Invicta’s goal firmly in view.
“Yeah, I have nothing to lose. I want to have a lot of fun in those two races. And, yeah, I think we’ll find out in T1 or T3 what will happen.”
This attitude gives him the opportunity to race aggressively yet intelligently—an ideal mindset as he faces his final F2 outings.
Supporting Invicta in the Teams’ Championship fight
Invicta Racing remain firmly in contention for the Teams’ Championship, and Fornaroli knows that both he and his team-mate, Feature Race polesitter Roman Staněk, must convert their strong starting positions to secure the title.
He reaffirmed his commitment to that goal: “Yes, Roman said. It’s a nice starting point for the weekend. We have a little bit of gap compared to the team who is in P2. But still, we don’t have to relax because the races are unpredictable and everything can happen. And me and Roman, I’m sure we’ll give everything in the races.”
His focus on teamwork underscores how much this final weekend still matters, even with his own title already secured.
Recognising his growth as a qualifier
When Pit Debrief asked him to reflect on his progress through the year, Fornaroli spoke about how much he has learned and how much he has enjoyed reaching this final milestone. He expressed pride in the way he handled his last F2 Qualifying session.
“It has been a very good year. I really enjoyed this last Qualifying in F2 with a little bit less pressure. I tried to enjoy it even more.”
He also highlighted the consistency that became a defining feature of his campaign: “Yeah, as I said, all the Qualifying has been very good. We were in the top ten every single Qualifying. Since in Melbourne, we showed a very strong pace in Qualifying. I learned a lot through all the runs. Also, Invicta helped me a lot. I learned also from Roman a lot. So, yeah, I really enjoyed this year.”
A snapshot of 2025
Asked to sum up his season in a single sentence, Fornaroli captured the emotion, drama and achievement of his 2025 journey: “One sentence only? There are a lot of sentences that can sum up this season. Emotional, super, incredible. I mean, a lot of things happened, but it has been an amazing year.”
