Now standing 4th in the F2 championship standings, Leonardo Fornaroli secured P3 in the qualifying session for Invicta Racing at the 2025 Monaco F2 Round. While he has yet to reach the coveted P1 in either Feature or Sprint races, the Italian has been impressively finishing within the top 10 in every race he started in his rookie season. The streets of Monte Carlo will however present the rookie driver with a new challenge, with its narrow circuit, and dangerously close walls.
Fornaroli: “I’m not very happy with myself “
While the Invicta Racing driver will start in a strong position for both the Sprint Race on Saturday and the Feature Race on Sunday, he was disappointed with his performance during the qualifying session. Cautious not to risk contact with the barriers, Fornaroli believes he lost time in the braking zone at the Monaco circuit.
“Well, of course, it’s nice to end in a good spot, but not very happy about the end of my session, not very happy with my driving. We were in a good spot until the bad spot I got in my third lap. You only have another lap to try to put yourself in a good position.”
“Everything was vibrating, so it’s not how you want to start your final lap. I didn’t want to do other mistakes, so I probably left some time in the big braking zones.
“And I was looking like a decent lap in the last sector and then I just did some mistakes.
“I’m not very happy with myself. With the car, we did a good start compared to yesterday and we are looking strong, but still we were able to finish in a good result, so I will take that.”
Consistent results for Fornaroli
Consistently qualifying in the top 5, the Italian recognized his one lap performance has been strong.
“Yes, I’m happy with our quali[fying] performance throughout the year. We were always quick, so I hope I will continue like that.”
Satisfied with his overall performance so far this season, Fornaroli aims to maintain consistency moving forward.
“I think we are already on a good spot. Of course, it would be amazing to fight for pole positions and win for a round, but I don’t know. I will just continue like I’m doing now.
“I think we’re on a good position.”
Specificities of the Monaco circuit
Realistic about his chances of overtaking his rivals on Sunday, Fornaroli plans to maximise performance at the start of the Feature Race, with the overall goal of finishing in the points for Invicta Racing.
“Well, of course, it’s very difficult to overtake here in Monaco.
“I will try to have a good start and try to gain some position and then try to have a good strategy, but otherwise I will just try to secure good results and good points.”
During the Monaco F2 Round, Qualifying is split into two groups. On a street circuit like Monaco – open to the public in the evening – track evolution plays a crucial role in push lap performance. Dividing the 22 drivers into two groups remains a contentious decision, as the second group typically benefits from better track conditions and is often the quicker of the two. Answering a question about the controversial split qualifying session in Monaco, Fornaroli agreed with his colleagues that the split format is the better choice in the Monaco F2 Round. Drivers find it easier to set a competitive lap time when they’re not impeded by traffic.
“Yes. Alex and Victor, they basically said everything. Yes, I agree with the decision to split the grid in two groups for qualifying also, because watching yesterday’s practice, there was a lot of traffic.
“So, yes, I will keep it like that.”
While still chasing his first win, the rookie’s steady form and strong qualifying suggest he’s a contender in the championship fight – if he can keep capitalizing on every opportunity.
