Roman Staněk continued his strong qualifying form in F2 at Monza, securing P3 on the grid to make it three top-three starts in succession. The Trident driver was pleased with his one-lap pace, even if Friday’s session was heavily disrupted by red flags.
A stop-start session full of drama
Qualifying was chaotic from start to finish. Red flags flew three times as several drivers fell foul of the high-speed circuit, forcing long interruptions and leaving little time to string together a clean lap. Richard Verschoor lost his fastest effort after triggering the final stoppage, while others struggled to find rhythm amid the repeated delays.
The incident that led to Richard Verschoor getting his fastest lap taken away from him after Monza Qualifying 👇#F2 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/z3YV2li7bU
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) September 5, 2025
Staněk, however, managed to keep his composure during the F2 Qualifying session in Monza. Despite missing the benefit of a tow on his best lap, he still secured third on the grid, underlining his growing consistency in Qualifying.
“Yeah, it’s good. It always feels good to drive an F2 car around the circuit like this in a quali trim. It’s a shame that it wasn’t the full course because the quali was interrupted with many red flags and many issues,” he said afterwards.
Staying sharp without rhythm
When asked how he managed to adapt to the constant stoppages, Staněk explained, “It’s quite difficult, you know. But at this level, you study the track so much. You spend a lot of time preparing on the sim, and you know the track from past years.”
“So, I would say already in pre-practise, you find the limit. And then with the step of the compounds that we run, the super soft in quali, you have one lap, and then you know the limit. So, yeah, it was a shame that we couldn’t show the proper pace if it would be a normal quali.”
Confidence building with podium form
Staněk has been on a run of four podiums in the last four race weekends, a streak that has boosted his confidence as the season enters its decisive phase.
“Yeah, it’s nice. I’ve been working very hard. Obviously, the first rounds of the season weren’t so good. I was struggling. We were unlucky. Also, I think I improved as a driver and understood the team,” he said.
“But yeah, it gives me a good boost of confidence. And in the end, I’m just doing my best, you know. I’m always trying to give my best in every session. And it’s working so far.”
Planning around red flags and slipstream advantage
The stop-start nature of Qualifying left many wondering if advance planning could have helped. Staněk admitted that predicting such conditions is almost impossible.
“Yeah, it’s quite hard to predict what months are going to be. You never know, especially with a track that you need a good tow to put a good lap together.”
“It hasn’t been the case this year somehow. Because I’ve seen also in pre-practise we saw that Richard [Verschoor] did his best lap without a tow, without a slipstream. You just try to do your best as it goes. If there are red flags and stuff, you always try to extract the best. And you can never plan things like this.”
When asked by Pit Debrief whether he preferred a tow or clean air, the Czech driver was clear. “I think on a track like this, it’s always good. It’s a help to have a tow. Me, I did my lap without a tow because the guy in front of me did a mistake in T1 and went out, so I haven’t had anyone in front of me.”
“I had to push very hard through the corners to gain some lap time. It’s always a help, especially on a track like this with so many long straights.”
Looking ahead with tyre management key
With Pirelli bringing the super soft and soft tyres to Monza, strategy and tyre management are expected to play a crucial role across both races.
When asked by Pit Debrief about his race prospects, Staněk said, “Yes, for sure. It’s going to be interesting with the super soft and the soft, especially on Sunday because we have the pit stop.”
“I’m looking forward. You never know coming to a race how it’s going to feel because we have very little time in pre-practise, also in Quali. I’m quite confident. We saw last year Gabi’s [Bortoleto] done from the last to the one. The pace for him was very good, and I’m pretty confident.”
