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Invicta Racing continued the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season in Bahrain with Leonardo Fornaroli taking the lead in the drivers’ standings.
The weekend in Bahrain got off to a strong start, with Leonardo and team-mate Roman Stanek looking competitive throughout Qualifying. Leonardo occupied provisional pole position for most of the session and, after briefly being knocked off the top spot, reclaimed it after his final run on a new set of Soft tyres, securing his first pole position in F2. Roman continued to improve his lap time over the course of the 30-minute session and claimed fifth.
2025 Formula 2 BAHRAIN Qualifying RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: 1st (1:44.008)
Roman Stanek: 5th (1:44.555)
Roman and Leonardo started on opposite strategies on Saturday – the former from sixth on the Soft tyres, the latter from 10th on Hard tyres. Roman lost a position at the start and Leonardo dropped to 14th while trying to avoid contact on the opening lap. The Safety Car was called at the end of the first lap, neutralising the race, with both drivers maintaining position at the restart.
A second Safety Car on lap 16 gave the team an opportunity to pit Leonardo from 18th for fresh Soft tyres. This helped him make strong gains, eventually finishing ninth. Roman struggled with his tyres after the restart, dropping to 16th. A post-race disqualification for Joshua Dürksen promoted both drivers up one position, giving Leonardo a valuable championship point in eighth.
2025 Formula 2 BAHRAIN Sprint Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: 8th (1 point)
Roman Stanek: 15th (0 points)
For Sunday's race, most drivers opted to start on Hard tyres, but the Invicta Racing pair started on Soft tyres. Both made excellent starts, with Leonardo holding the lead from pole position and Roman briefly advancing to third before dropping back to fourth by the end of the first lap, one place higher than he started.
Leonardo was overtaken by eventual race winner Alex Dunne on lap seven and, after making his mandatory pitstop on lap 15, rejoined in eighth. Targeting the podium positions, by lap 26 he had closed in on Victor Martins and used his pace through the final corner to take third place.
A final lap battle ensued, as Leonardo was forced to defend firmly from Sprint Race winner Josep María Martí, with the Italian successfully holding on to third position and securing his second podium of the season to end the weekend with a one point lead in the drivers’ standings.
Roman fought hard against those on the alternative tyre strategy after his pitstop and continued to battle hard through the remainder of the race, but the Czech racer’s tyres began falling away as the laps progressed and he crossed the line in 17th.
2025 Formula 2 BAHRAIN FEATURE Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: 3rd (15 points)
Roman Stanek: 17th (0 points)
LEONARDO FORNAROLI
“It’s good to have been on the podium again. I was really hoping to fight for the win after securing pole position and gave it my all, but we didn’t quite have the pace compared to Alex [Dunne]. After the pitstop, I really pushed to get on the podium, which I’m pleased we achieved and came away with some good points to lead the drivers’ championship.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Leonardo Fornaroli
ROMAN STANEK
“It has been a mixed weekend. We had a good Qualifying, so it’s frustrating that the race results don’t reflect that. I struggled with tyre degradation in both races, so was not able to fight for points. We’ve shown that we have pace, so I hope we can continue this into Jeddah next week.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Roman Stanek
JAMES ROBINSON, TEAM PRINCIPAL
“Overall, we can take some positives from this weekend. We showed that we had pace during Qualifying and it was great to get our second podium of the season with Leonardo. Both drivers were involved in some tight battles on track during the races, and while the results didn’t all go our way, we now have a good understanding of our race pace in the Feature. We will look to continue this momentum into Jeddah and see what we can do there.”
READ MORE: Getting to know James Robinson
2025 Formula 2 STANDINGS
Leonardo Fornaroli: 1st (26 points)
Roman Stanek: 12th (4 points)
Invicta Racing: 3rd (30 points)
CIRCUIT: JEDDAH CORNICHE CIRCUIT
ROUND: 3
DATE: 18-20 APRIL
READ MORE: Where to watch F2 in 2025
