Leonardo Fornaroli Secures F2 Championship Lead with Victory in Hungary
In a thrilling display of skill and strategy, Leonardo Fornaroli extended his lead in the Formula 2 Championship by clinching victory in the Feature Race at the Hungaroring. This marked Fornaroli’s third win of the season and notably his first Sunday victory, further solidifying his position at the top of the standings. His teammate, Roman Stanek, followed closely behind, earning a commendable podium finish and marking his second consecutive podium appearance. Jak Crawford, after a gripping race, finished in third place, allowing him to ascend to second in the championship rankings, trailing Fornaroli.
The race faced a slight delay, with the start time pushed to 10:02 AM local time due to rain showers that prompted the safety car to lead the pack at the beginning. As the cars made their way down the start/finish straight, both drivers from Invicta Racing seized the opportunity to establish an early lead, creating a significant gap between themselves and the remaining competitors.
While many drivers opted for the more conventional soft tires, some, like Victor Martins, chose an alternative strategy with medium tires. Unfortunately, this decision saw Martins lose three positions within the first two laps as he struggled to find grip on the wet track and generate heat in his tires. The soft tires, in contrast, presented a distinct advantage during the damp conditions.
The race’s first yellow flag waved on Lap 5 when Ritomo Miyata made contact with Dino Beganovic at Turn 1. Fortunately, Miyata was able to recover and rejoin the race from the back of the field. As the leaders completed Lap 6, Cordeel’s car was seen emitting white smoke, forcing him to retire and triggering a virtual safety car period.
Once the green flag was back in play, the battle for fifth place intensified as Goethe, Dürksen, and Lindblad engaged in fierce competition. Lindblad executed a successful double overtake, while Gabriele Mini also managed a similar maneuver on Richard Verschoor and Pepe Martí, seizing the inside line amidst their tussle for ninth position.
Victor Martins’ race took a turn for the worse on Lap 10 as he plummeted to 17th on the timing sheets and ultimately came to a halt just after Turn 12. His inability to move off the track resulted in another virtual safety car being deployed, a decision that stirred controversy among fans and teams alike.
The second restart created an opportunity for Alex Dunne, who executed a brilliant double overtake on Dürksen and Goethe, moving up to sixth place. However, the spotlight briefly shifted to Fornaroli, who was under investigation for a safety car infringement. Fortunately for him, no further action was taken, although he later faced scrutiny for speeding in the pit lane.
Stanek’s pit stop on Lap 15 significantly boosted his position on the track. However, it was Fornaroli’s well-timed pit stop a lap later that allowed him to leapfrog his teammate, executing a perfectly calculated overcut strategy. Unfortunately for Fornaroli, he was handed a 5-second penalty on Lap 18 for the earlier pit lane infraction.
As the race progressed, several drivers made their pit stops, switching from soft to medium tires. Dürksen, Goethe, Browning, Mini, and Villagómez all pitted on Lap 15, while Stanek, Crawford, Meguetounif, and Montoya followed suit a lap later. Despite showing strong pace, Crawford’s performance was hampered by a slow pit stop, complicating his chances of maintaining his competitive edge.
Bennett became the third retiree of the race after he was forced to pull into the pits, having sustained damage from contact with Villagómez and Mini, which compromised his rear lower wishbone.
By Lap 20, Arvid Lindblad and Martí had emerged as the leaders, managing to stay out without pitting. They communicated over the radio about the stability of their medium tires, with Lindblad holding a 33.7-second lead over Stanek. Lindblad eventually made the switch to soft tires on Lap 24, rejoining behind Browning, with Martí following suit a lap later. However, the new tires proved challenging to warm up, resulting in both Red Bull Academy drivers slipping back to tenth and fourteenth places, respectively.
Despite the penalty he incurred, Fornaroli maintained a steady pace, gradually increasing the gap between himself and Stanek. By Lap 28, Fornaroli had carved out a 5-second advantage over his teammate and proceeded to take the lead from Miyata, who was yet to make his pit stop.
Tyre warming issues continued to plague several drivers, including Beganovic, who, however, found his strategy paying off a lap later when he overtook Dunne for ninth and Goethe for eighth place. Lindblad, too, faced similar challenges but managed to close in on Beganovic and engaged in a battle for position.
As the race neared its conclusion, Miyata finally made his pit stop at the end of Lap 35, rejoining the race in 18th position. By this time, Fornaroli had established a comfortable 8-second lead over Stanek, positioning him well to secure the team’s first 1-2 finish in four years. The seamless teamwork and strategy employed by both drivers contributed to an exhilarating race, allowing them to enter the summer break with a significant bounty of championship points.
The Formula 2 series will now take a brief hiatus, with the next race set to take place at Monza on September 5th for the Italian Grand Prix. The upcoming races will be pivotal for Crawford, who will be looking to close the 17-point gap between himself and Fornaroli, as well as for other competitors eager to make their mark in the remaining rounds of the season.
