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Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli clinches the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship at the penultimate round of the season after securing P2 in the Feature Race at Lusail.
After getting up to speed quickly in Free Practice, both Leonardo and Roman Staněk carried their momentum into the first competitive session of the weekend.
Under the lights, the Invicta Racing drivers immediately set the benchmark. Roman went P1 on his first flying lap, only for Leonardo to go even quicker moments later.
Oliver Goethe briefly split the pair before they headed into the pit lane for fresh tyres. The pace continued to rise thereafter, as Leonardo remained at the top of the timing sheets, with Roman slotting back into P2.
Both drivers improved on their final laps, and although Leonardo was narrowly beaten to pole by Goethe, he still finished ahead of his key championship rivals.
After the session, the stewards issued Goethe a penalty, promoting both Leonardo and Roman by one position.
2025 Formula 2 LUSAIL Qualifying RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: P1 (1:36.155)
Roman Stanek: P3 (1:36.345)
Starting from P7 and P9 respectively, both Roman and Leonardo opted for the Hard compound tyre.
Leonardo gained a position at the start, before going wheel to wheel with team-mate Roman for P7 throughout the remainder of the first lap.
After a few unsuccessful attempts to dive up the inside of his teammate, Leonardo held back to avoid the pair losing further ground to Alex Dunne ahead.
As both drivers settled into management mode to protect their tyres, a Safety Car was called on Lap 14.
Roman used the opportunity to pit for the Soft compound tyre, emerging back on track in P15, while Leonardo remained on track, moving up to P7.
Racing resumed on Lap 17 and Roman immediately showed strong pace, moving up to P13 before briefly running wide into the gravel.
A second Safety Car was called on Lap 20 and a final lap shootout ensued once it returned to the pit lane, with Leonardo taking the fight to Alex Dunne before gaining a place as Nikola Tsolov ran wide.
Meanwhile, Roman briefly lost a position at the restart before immediately gaining it back as Arvid Lindblad took as trip across the gravel.
Both drivers held position as they crossed the finish line, with Leonardo securing more valuable points for his championship charge.
2025 Formula 2 LUSAIL Sprint Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: P6 (3 points)
Roman Stanek: P13 (0 points)
Going into the final race of the weekend Leonardo, starting on pole, needed to outscore his championship rivals by 40 points to claim the title.
Team-mate Roman lined up behind him in P3, with both drivers on the Soft compound tyre.
A slow getaway from Leonardo allowed Victor Martins to snatch the lead, while Roman held P3. Tyre management quickly became critical, and by Lap 3 Leonardo was reporting degradation on his front-left.
One lap later, Roman ran wide at the final corner, giving Alex Dunne the opportunity to attack into Turn 1 and dropping the Czech driver down to P4.
Leonardo made his first move at the earliest opportunity, diving into the pits on Lap 7 for Hard tyres and rejoining in P17. Roman stayed out for one more lap, coming in on Lap 8 and re-emerging in P14.
As most of the field completed their stops, Leonardo moved up to P9 and a net P2 behind Martins. With fresher tyres he began closing the gap, with the team urging him to apply pressure to the Frenchman.
Roman, struggling with understeer, found himself locked in battle Richard Verschoor. On Lap 13, he was unable to defend a move around the outside into Turn 1 and slipped to P15.
A Safety Car on Lap 15 neutralised the field and, when racing resumed on Lap 17, Leonardo ran P6 and Roman P12 as others still needed to pit.
With Martins held up by cars yet to stop, Leonardo closed in once again but couldn’t find a way through. As the remaining pit stops unfolded, Leonardo rose to P2 and Roman to P8.
Crossing the line in those positions, Leonardo did enough to seal the F2 Drivers’ Championship, with his rivals unable to outscore him in the final round.
2025 Formula 2 LUSAIL FEATURE Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: P2 (18 points)
Roman Staněk: P8 (4 points)
LEONARDO FORNAROLI
“What a weekend! I really wasn’t expecting to take the title here – I was just focused on the race. I didn’t get a great start and when Victor got past it was tough to stay with him. I did my best, but I couldn’t quite catch him for the win. Still, we secured a podium and scored the points we needed. I couldn’t believe it when they told me I’d won the championship – it feels amazing! A big thank you to Invicta Racing for everything this season. Now we can focus on finishing the year on a high with the Teams’ title in Abu Dhabi.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Leonardo Fornaroli
ROMAN STANEK
“It was great to be back in the car after such a long break, and getting up to speed straight away felt good – especially qualifying in the top three. Our gamble on fresh tyres in the Sprint Race didn’t pay off, but we still managed to score solid points in the Feature Race. Congratulations to Leo on winning the championship; he's had a fantastic season. Now our focus shifts to securing the Teams’ Championship next weekend.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Roman Stanek
JAMES ROBINSON, TEAM PRINCIPAL
“It’s been an incredible weekend for the team. Leonardo clinching the Drivers’ Championship with a round to spare is a testament to his and the team’s hard work this season. Roman also showed great pace and resilience, scoring valuable points. Now we turn our focus to finishing the season strong in Abu Dhabi and aiming for the Teams’ Championship.”
READ MORE: Getting to know James Robinson
2025 Formula 2 STANDINGS
Invicta Racing: P1 (296 points)
Leonardo Fornaroli: P1 (211 points)
Roman Staněk: P11 (85 points)
READ MORE: See the full FIA Formula 2 2025 Standings
CIRCUIT: YAS MARINA CIRCUIT
ROUND: 14
DATE: 5-7 DECEMBER
READ MORE: Where to watch F2 in 2025
