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Invicta Racing drivers Leonardo Fornaroli and Roman Stanek got the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season underway in Albert Park with a pair of top five finishes in the Sprint, before inclement weather curtailed Sunday’s Feature Race.
The Invicta Racing duo of Fornaroli and Stanek were competitive from the off in Qualifying, and the Italian occupied the top spot midway through the session. However, on his final attempt, Leonardo spun on the exit of Turn 12 and had to settle for 10th overall, giving him pole position for the reverse grid Sprint Race. Meanwhile, Roman improved his time over the course of the session to finish a strong sixth.
2025 Formula 2 Melbourne Qualifying RESULTS
Roman Stanek: 6th (1:29.835)
Leonardo Fornaroli: 10th (1:29.938)
As the lights went out for the first time in 2025, Leonardo launched well from first, but Joshua Dürksen’s superior start meant the reigning FIA Formula 3 Champion had fallen to second by Turn 1. Roman got underway cleanly from fifth on the grid, and last year’s Melbourne Sprint winner defended well to hold position in the opening laps.
Although the Czech racer was briefly displaced by Dino Beganovic, he piled on the pressure, finding a way back past when his rival spun at Turn 9. Try as he might, Fornaroli was unable to retake the lead and eventually crossed the line second to start the season with a well-earned podium, while Stanek finished where he started in fifth.
2025 Formula 2 Melbourne Sprint Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: 2nd (8 points)
Roman Stanek: 5th (4 points)
Unfortunately, after several attempts to get the Feature Race underway in wet conditions, it was cancelled with no official results recorded.
LEONARDO FORNAROLI
“It was a shame that Joshua [Dürksen] got the better start because we had the pace to win the Sprint Race, but I’m really happy to start the season off with a podium for Invicta Racing. Naturally it’s disappointing that we didn’t get to race in the Feature, but ultimately, safety has to come first in these situations.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Leonardo Fornaroli
ROMAN STANEK
“We were starting from a strong position in the Feature Race, so it’s frustrating that we missed an opportunity to go out there and fight for more points. That’s the way things go sometimes; now we have to move on and think about Round 2. We showed we have solid pace in the Sprint, so hopefully we can carry that into Bahrain.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Roman Stanek
JAMES ROBINSON, TEAM PRINCIPAL
“Overall, we can be happy with how the first race weekend of 2025 panned out for us. Both our drivers finished in the top five in the Sprint Race – with Leonardo bringing home our first podium of the new season – so there’s plenty to be optimistic about heading to Bahrain. It’s always disappointing to lose out on an opportunity to go racing like we did in the Feature, but we have to put safety above everything else in those scenarios.”
READ MORE: Getting to know James Robinson
CIRCUIT: BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT
ROUND: 2
DATE: 11-13 APRIL
READ MORE: Where to watch F2 in 2025
