All images ©: Dutch Photo Agency
Invicta Racing enjoyed a standout home race weekend, with Leonardo Fornaroli taking his first Formula 2 win and Roman Stanek joining him on the podium in the Sprint Race.
Leonardo and Roman got off to a quick start in Qualifying, sitting P3 and P5 respectively after their opening laps.
The session was red flagged with 18 minutes to go, allowing both drivers to come back into the pits and put on a new set of tyres for their second runs.
With the track evolving continuously, Roman was able to improve his time by over a second on his final attempt and place himself P4 – equalling his best Qualifying position of the season.
After running wide at Luffield on his penultimate lap, Leonardo had to do a further push lap in the closing stages of the session.
The Italian was still able to improve his time, jumping to P10 and securing pole position for the reverse grid Sprint Race.
2025 Formula 2 SILVERSTONE Qualifying RESULTS
Roman Stanek: P4 (1:40.065)
Leonardo Fornaroli: P10 (1:40.428)
Leonardo claimed his first Formula 2 victory in style during Saturday’s Sprint Race, leading a brilliant double podium for the team alongside Roman in P3.
Starting from pole position, Leonardo lost a position to former Invicta Racing driver Kush Maini off the line.
Determined not to let victory slip from his grasp, Leonardo put a bold move on Maini through Luffield later in the lap and, once ahead, was quickly able to pull clear of DRS range.
Roman, meanwhile, surged from P7 to P4 at the start of the race and continued to stay hot on the heels of the cars ahead, remaining in a tight podium battle for the majority of the race.
The Czech star attempted to make a move on Maini ahead midway through the race but was unable to make it stick, forcing him to go on the defence from Joshua Dürksen behind.
On the penultimate lap, Roman made a decisive move on Maini at Stowe which elevated him to P3 – his second podium finish of the season.
Leonardo continued to lead for the remainder of the race with little pressure from behind, securing a well-earned maiden Formula 2 victory.
2025 Formula 2 SILVERSTONE Sprint Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: P1 (10 points)
Roman Stanek: P3 (6 points)
With heavy rain falling before the race, all drivers started on Wet tyres. When the lights went out, Roman launched well to move up a place to P3 but dropped back to P4 by the end of the first lap.
Leonardo slipped to P12 from his P10 starting spot but managed to reclaim a position on the second lap. The Italian quickly got onto the rear of Arvid Lindblad to chase down the points positions but couldn’t make a move stick in the early laps.
As the race progressed, Roman began to come under increasing pressure from Joshua Dürksen and Luke Browning. On lap 9, Dürksen slipped through after Roman ran wide at Copse. Browning and Dino Beganovic followed shortly after, dropping him to seventh.
Leonardo continued to press forward and finally made his move on Lindblad on lap 11, jumping into the top ten. With that momentum, he immediately set his sights on closing the gap to championship leader Richard Verschoor ahead.
Despite deteriorating grip on the worn Wet tyre, the field remained hesitant to switch to slicks as further rain was due towards the end of the race.
Roman was among the first to take the gamble, boxing on lap 22 for a set of Soft compound tyres. He rejoined in P13, just before a Virtual Safety Car was deployed.
Unfortunately, the decision didn’t pay off. Just one lap later, Roman spun coming onto the Hangar Straight in the tricky conditions and was unable to restart the car, forcing him to retire and bringing out the full Safety Car on lap 25.
Alongside most other cars, this prompted Leonardo to pit from P8 and take on a fresh set of Wet tyres, rejoining the race in P10. With rain beginning to fall again and only a handful of laps remaining, the race was set for a dramatic two-lap sprint to the flag once the Safety Car pulled in.
At the restart, Leonardo kept his composure to avoid incidents around him – including a spin from Dürksen – and climbed to P6 before another Safety Car was deployed on the penultimate lap, bringing his charge to a halt.
With the number of laps running out, the race finished under the Safety Car.
2025 Formula 2 SILVERSTONE FEATURE Race RESULTS
Leonardo Fornaroli: P6 (8 points)
Roman Stanek: DNF (0 points)
LEONARDO FORNAROLI
“I’m really happy with this weekend. After starting on pole a few times this season but not being able to convert it, it feels amazing to finally secure a win. We’ve been close before, so to put it all together just proves that the hard work is paying off, and to share the podium with Roman was also really special. There’s still a long season ahead, but this gives us momentum, confidence, and motivation to keep fighting. Silverstone will definitely be one I remember for a long time.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Leonardo Fornaroli
ROMAN STANEK
“It’s been a strong weekend overall for the team – especially with the double podium in the Sprint Race, which was a great result for us all. Sunday didn’t go quite our way. With the changing conditions, we decided to take a gamble on slick tyres, but unfortunately the track wasn’t quite ready, and I ended up spinning, which brought my race to an early end. It’s a shame because we were running well, but there are plenty of positives to take from this weekend and we’ll come back fighting in the next round.”
READ MORE: Getting to know Roman Stanek
JAMES ROBINSON, TEAM PRINCIPAL
“It’s been a fantastic weekend at our home event. Seeing Leonardo take his first F2 victory in the Sprint Race, with Roman joining him on the podium in third, was incredibly rewarding for the whole team. Both drivers delivered outstanding performances, and it’s testament to the hard work everyone has put in throughout the season to get such a strong result.
"Sunday’s conditions were more challenging, but Leonardo showed real determination with a strong charge in the final laps to bring home more valuable points. With Roman, we took a strategic gamble by switching to slicks and unfortunately it didn’t pay off, as the track hadn’t yet dried enough. Still, we can be very proud of what we’ve achieved this weekend. It’s a big boost for the team and we’re focused on carrying this momentum forward into Spa in a couple of weeks.”
READ MORE: Getting to know James Robinson
2025 Formula 2 STANDINGS
Invicta Racing: 5th (133 points)
Leonardo Fornaroli: 4th (104 points)
Roman Stanek: 11th (29 points)
READ MORE: See the full FIA Formula 2 2025 Standings
CIRCUIT: SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
ROUND: 9
DATE: 25-27 JULY
READ MORE: Where to watch F2 in 2025
