Formula 2 Report: Ice-cool Fornaroli seals title in Qatar

In clinching the Formula 2 & Formula 3 drivers’ titles back-to-back, the 20-year-old has joined a very exclusive club, including the likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and Gabriel Bortoleto. It wasn’t easy either, with teammate Roman Stanek giving him grief in both this weekend’s races and Richard Verschoor using all his experience to pile on the pressure.

But Fornaroli shrugged off Stanek’s attempts to steal P2 at the Feature Race start and didn’t lose his cool in a chaotic race with safety cars and multiple incidents. Solid as a rock, he stuck to his task, and as late stoppers made way, he took second—all he needed to become world champion.

The Italian took his time to grab his first Formula 2 victory, not winning until the Silverstone Sprint. Since then, though, he has been a force of nature, winning at Spa, Monza, and Budapest. Reflecting after the podium celebrations, Fornaroli said it was a dream come true, but he’d “still try to improve” even further.

Fornaroli explained: “It's a big boost of confidence, because I was able to show what I'm capable of, and also I'm quite happy about how the season went. For sure, there were some mistakes I could have avoided, some due to inexperience and some that were just my mistakes, but it's part of the game.”

“The championship is very competitive,” he added. “You always have to be at the limit to score good results. So mistakes can happen, but nevertheless, I learned, was able to improve, and now to finally win this championship, it's a massive relief.”

Fornaroli’s Feature Race didn’t start as he’d have hoped. Williams junior, Victor Martins, snatched the lead from him off the line as Stanek tried it around the outside. He held on, but Alex Dunne took P4 from Ollie Goethe behind, so the title race was far from over.

Stanek then dipped a wheel in the gravel, letting Dunne into the podium places. Verschoor, one of the other title favorites from earlier in the season, also pushed past a struggling Josh Durksen for P9. Having qualified poorly, Luke Browning (10th) and Jak Crawford (15th) were out of contention, but there was plenty of drama to come.

Ritomo Miyata broke down in the pit entry, then Goethe followed suit, only breaking down on track, triggering a safety car. Up to this point, Dino Beganovic had shown incredible pace on an alternate strategy. But the safety car cut a big chunk out of his lead—and he emerged from a late pit stop in P9. This left the door wide open for Martins and Fornaroli.

Dunne divebombed Arvid Lindblad late on to get back onto the podium, but it was too little, too late. It was Fornaroli’s day. With this kind of performance, it’s no surprise that he has been signed alongside Verschoor to the McLaren development programme. McLaren have got some driver on their hands!

Fornaroli set himself up for victory with an assured performance in the Sprint. Verschoor lost out to Durksen on the run down to turn one. Red Bull junior debutant Nikola Tsolov also stuck boldly to the inside of Villagomez for P3. Fornaroli, meanwhile, tangled with his teammate. It’s remarkable that team orders weren’t introduced, but he fought his corner and held on.

Trident youngster Laurens van Hoepen had his own teammate drama with newcomer James Wharton, clashing at the start before forcing him off track towards the end. As the laps ticked by, Verschoor closed on Durksen and snatched back the lead on the outside of turn one. The Paraguayan moved to defend very late; it was tough, but just about acceptable.

As Browning had another frustrating afternoon, scrapping with Miyata for P17, Crawford closed in, taking P11 after a big mistake from Martins. However, Wharton’s off then caused a safety car, allowing Invicta to pit Stanek, moving him out of Fornaroli's way.

Embarrassingly, Kush Maini and Cian Shields went off under a chaotic safety car, with Villagomez pushing past Tsolov on the second restart. Despite all this, though, Fornaroli cruised home to take P6, which he knew was nearly enough to seal the deal. Verschoor showed his class with an F2 record-equaling victory, but it was Fornaroli who showed the composure of a champion.

Sadly, winning the Formula 2 championship doesn’t guarantee you promotion to Formula 1. Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire, two of the last three title winners, have failed to get a seat. Even Piastri spent a year as Alpine’s reserve, waiting for an opportunity (albeit at McLaren, in the end).

Arguably, F2's latest champion has bucked this trend by signing for McLaren. With the Formula 1 World Champions having confirmed the deal, he said: "It’s a special moment, and I’m grateful for McLaren’s support in allowing me to continue my development within the programme. I’m excited to get going and work hard with the team in the coming months.”

Other drivers tipped for F1 next year include Lindblad. The Red Bull junior is widely considered the favorite to take a seat at Racing Bulls, with Isack Hadjar taking the seemingly doomed second seat alongside Max Verstappen in the senior team.

Seats are already in high demand for next year. Returning pros like Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will only make it more difficult for newbies to get a run out. Next season, it’s far more likely that F2’s brightest stars will return to the proving ground. Dunne, for example, is expected to join Red Bull’s academy, so there will be plenty of talent on show and lots still to prove.

F2 heads to Abu Dhabi next weekend with only pride on the line. The same can’t be said of F1. Max Verstappen’s shock win in Qatar has blown the title race wide open. Join us for full coverage of the season finale at Yas Marina Circuit from December 5-7, 2025.