F2 | Sprint Race | Italian GP | Fornaroli wins in front of the home crowd at Monza - Motorsport

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Following yesterday’s chaotic F2 Qualifying, which featured three red flag interruptions, both hometown heroes Leonardo Fornaroli and Gabriele Minì both triggered stoppages on two separate occasions. Richard Verschoor triggered the final red flag after spinning at the exit of Lesmo and crashing into the wall. Today, the focus shifts to the F2 Italian GP Sprint Race, where drivers aim to secure crucial points to keep their championship hopes alive.

The incident cost Verschoor dearly, as he had been running in P2 before the stoppage. Because he caused the incident, officials deleted his fastest lap, dropping him down the order to start from P14.

With the top 10 reversed for the Sprint Race, Dino Beganovic inherits pole position, with Sami Meguetounif alongside him on the front row. Championship leader Fornaroli, eager to bounce back from his qualifying setback, will line up just behind in third.

LIGHTS OUT!

All cars made the first corner, with Meguetounif on the outside and Fornaroli on the inside, and Fornaroli eventually capitalising and moving to P2.

Lindblad, Goethe and Stanek all made overtakes on Dürksen, with him toppling down the field.

Safety car deployed

Dunne and Maini battled side by side into Curva Grande, forcing Maini wide; his rear tyres ran into the gravel, causing him to spin and come to a halt. The incident was noted.

Martins lost his front-wind endplate after a light collision with Goethe, but continued on. The incident was also soon noted by race control.

Lap 4 restart

Beganovic restarted the race just before Parabolica, creating a slipstream behind. Fornaroli tried to capitalise and overtake into Turn 1 but ran wide and was forced to give the position back.

Meanwhile, Meguetounif continued to drop through the field, with Lindblad overtaking him to move into P3. Dunne made a bold move down the inside on Stanek, climbing to P7.

The top three started to edge clear, pulling themselves out of DRS range and pushing their machines to the limit. Dürksen attempted an overtake on Meguetounif but couldn’t make it stick, all while keeping an eye on Dunne and Stanek closing in from behind.

Fornaroli moves to P1 in Lap 8

Fornaroli moved left into the first corner, overtaking Beganovic to take the race lead, though he locked up his right front tyre in the process. Beganovic immediately came under pressure from Lindblad behind.

On the following lap, Lindblad pulled to the inside at Turn 1 and passed Beganovic for P2. Meanwhile, Meguetounif and Dunne ran side by side into Turn 1, with Meguetounif bouncing over the chicane and pushing both into the gravel. Meguetounif retired in the pit lane with sidepod damage, while Dunne reported damage from the incident.

Fornaroli maintained a steady lead, with Lindblad, Beganovic, and Goethe forming the chase pack, a 1.8-second gap back to Dürksen in P5. Martins headed to the pits for a front wing replacement, the team deciding the fix was essential to preserve his race. Crawford began dropping down the order and was now P14. The top drivers continued to push, but Fornaroli’s pace remained consistent at the front.

Lap 14 drama

Goethe tried to challenge Beganovic but went too deep into Turn 1, spinning into the grass and dropping to P16. Further back, Minì ran wide at Turn 1, while Martí briefly went across the kerb into the gravel. Beganovic lost time to Lindblad, allowing Fornaroli and Lindblad to break clear at the front.

Browning and Martins were investigated but cleared with no further action. Dürksen continued to close in on Beganovic, slowly reducing the gap as the race progressed.

Brief yellow flag is out

Esterson stopped on the back straight near the support category paddock with smoke coming from his car, while Goethe pitted early to change tyres. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 18, returning to green on Lap 19.

On the restart, Verschoor overtook Stanek at Turn 4, moving up to P5. Up front, the battle between Fornaroli and Lindblad intensified, with Lindblad circling Fornaroli but going wide at Ascari, losing DRS.

Beganovic and Dürksen also went wide, with Dürksen briefly sliding into the gravel before rejoining. Beganovic received a 5-second penalty for a Virtual Safety Car infringement, dropping him off the podium.

THE HOMETOWN HERO WINS!

Fornaroli claimed the F2 Italian GP Sprint win infront of the home crowd, bouncing back from a difficult P8 in qualifying yesterday. Lindblad claimed P2 and Dürksen inheriting P3 after Beganovic’s penalty.

Several post-race investigations are still ongoing, so the classification below remains provisional.