“Motorsport wasn’t something I initially enjoyed.” Leonardo Fornaroli begins our discussion with this open declaration.
Hailing from Piacenza, a city less than 200km from Monza and Imola, where he was born in December 2004, racing was always nearby. His father, Valentino Fornaroli, participated in races from 2008 to 2015, primarily in the Italian GT Championship, with a brief venture into International GT Open.
During that period, young Leonardo explored different pursuits. “I gave numerous sports a try, but none held my attention,” he admits. However, a karting experience changed everything, as it has for many racers.
Fornaroli recounts, “Observing my father’s races and watching Formula 1 with him on television, I decided I wanted to try it myself. We went to an indoor electric go-kart track one day. On the very first lap, I became captivated.”
Fornaroli’s karting journey wasn’t marked by major accomplishments. His early years in single-seaters were also relatively subdued. Although he consistently placed high in Italian F4, he only secured one victory in two years. Later, as a rookie in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, he frequently scored points but never reached the podium.
During those years, Fornaroli encountered a number of future F1 drivers: Gabriel Bortoleto, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, and Oliver Bearman, the 2021 Italian F4 champion. Could he recognize their potential at the time? “Absolutely!” he affirms.
“Ollie Bearman and I had a fantastic season together in F4. He possessed incredible speed. We engaged in intense battles on the track; it was a wonderful rivalry throughout those years. He was the one I believed could reach the highest levels if he maintained his trajectory.
“I remember a great battle we had in Misano during both Race 1 and Race 3. I emerged victorious in Race 1, while he won Race 3. Ultimately, we both won, each with a significant lead. In the initial laps, we pushed relentlessly to overtake each other. It was a thoroughly enjoyable contest.”
Fornaroli says racing the likes of Bearman (pictured at Misano in 2021), Bortoleto, Antonelli and Hadjar showed him the level needed to reach the top
Photo by: ACI Sport
Subsequently, Fornaroli advanced to F3, spending two more seasons with Trident, the Milan-based team he had been with in FRECA. This team has guided Bortoleto, Fornaroli, and Rafael Camara to the F3 title from 2023 to 2025.
“Choosing to join them in Formula Regional was a somewhat risky move, as they were completely new to the category,” the Italian acknowledges. “However, through our collective dedication and the collaboration with my teammates and engineers, we managed to significantly develop the car and progress substantially throughout the season. Ultimately, we secured the rookie title and finished eighth overall in the championship, a result I found particularly satisfying given our initial position at the start of the season.
“This demonstrates that Trident’s approach is also effective in F3. They were undoubtedly starting from a stronger position in F3 due to their greater experience in the category. Nevertheless, even the best teams always have room for improvement.
“The key to success in feeder series today is consistency. The standard is so high that earning points in every race can put you in contention for the championship.” Leonardo Fornaroli
“That’s what I appreciated during my two years with the F3 team: their constant pursuit of the best car setup and their extensive support in helping me drive to the best of my ability. The teamwork is phenomenal.”
Fornaroli’s time in F3 is a textbook example of ‘one year to learn, one year to win’. In his inaugural campaign, the Italian secured one pole position and several podium finishes. Then, in 2024, he qualified in the top six in nearly every round, finished in the top 12 in every race among a field of 30 competitors, and achieved seven crucial podiums. This consistency proved decisive in overcoming Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning, and Arvid Lindblad, all of whom experienced peaks and valleys during the season.
Was he frustrated by winning the title without securing a single race victory? “Not at all,” Fornaroli insists. “Consistency is paramount in feeder series nowadays, as the level of competition is so fierce that scoring points in every race can keep you in contention for the title. Moreover, winning a race wasn’t necessary to win the championship.
The Italian achieved the rare feat of winning a title without winning a race in F3 last year
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“In fact, securing the title without any race wins taught me how to maintain composure and calmness under immense pressure, which is inevitable as a championship contender. I simply aimed to position myself optimally for the ultimate goal. Ultimately, I accomplished it independently and achieved success.”
This composure radiates from the 20-year-old, both on and off the track. It is quite significant that he hasn’t retired from a race due to a collision or accident of his own making since his F4 days. He consciously strives to “think more” while racing.
“If you’re vying for significant points, it’s often wiser to avoid trouble and secure the result, rather than attempting a risky overtake to gain a few extra points. While a successful overtake can yield more points, a failed attempt can lead to substantial losses.” Although this might seem obvious, young racers are often prone to accidents. However, this isn’t the case with him.
Similarly, Fornaroli didn’t overreact when Mini, Lindblad, and Browning were leading by 19 to 26 points with three rounds remaining in F3 2024, even though he admits it was “not ideal.”
“I remained composed and told myself, ‘There are still three rounds to go, and anything can happen. Focus on scoring as many points as possible and concentrate on your own performance.’ Eventually, we succeeded, and I’m extremely proud of that. This experience has also benefited me this year, as we were in sixth place after Barcelona, quite far behind the leader. However, I managed to regain the championship lead.
“The experience of competing for the championship last year has made me more calm and focused on achieving good results this year. Of course, the season is far from over, and anything is still possible. Nothing is certain.”
This year, Fornaroli’s F2 campaign began promisingly with a second-place finish in the Melbourne sprint race. He started from pole position thanks to the reverse grid system for the top 10 qualifiers on Saturday, and he has steadily improved since then.
Despite leading the F2 standings, Fornaroli has been enduring the tests of a rookie driver all the same
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
“My inexperience led to some mistakes in the races, such as strategic errors, poor tire management, pit stop issues, and challenges with out-laps on cold tires,” the Invicta driver admits. Most of these aspects are new to F2 rookies, as there are no mandatory pit stops in F3. “It’s something that improves with each race. I’ve definitely made progress in these areas in recent races.”
Fornaroli achieved a breakthrough in the Silverstone sprint race, securing a lights-to-flag victory from reverse-grid pole position. This marked his first motorsport win since his second F4 campaign in 2021, a victory he admittedly felt “somewhat relieved” about.
Over those four years, he reached 21 podiums across four different championships, but never the top step. This mirrors F1 driver Pierre Gasly’s own winless streak between his title-winning campaigns in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2013 and GP2 (now F2) in 2016. During that period, Gasly amassed 16 podium finishes, finishing as runner-up in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 season. However, his dry spell also included several missed opportunities, mostly beyond his control.
Similar to Gasly, the Italian quickly followed up his first F2 win with three more, taking the lead from third on the grid in the Spa-Francorchamps sprint and then dominating the Hungarian feature race despite a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
“I’ve improved in that area compared to the first races, but I still need to assist [my engineer] more and improve my feedback from the car to make his job easier.” Leonardo Fornaroli
As a result, Fornaroli leads the drivers’ standings heading into the summer break, with a 17-point lead over a tight pack of four drivers including Jak Crawford, Richard Verschoor, Browning, and Alex Dunne.
Irishman Dunne has impressed Fornaroli the most so far. He wasn’t a consistent frontrunner in F3 last year, particularly after a dominant performance in the wet Spa-Francorchamps F2 feature race, where the McLaren junior crossed the finish line first, but a 10-second penalty for a start procedure infringement dropped him to ninth.
Two-thirds into the F2 season, Fornaroli still has room to improve, which will be vital in a competitive title race. “I need to collaborate more with my engineer on the setup choices,” he notes. “I’ve improved in that area compared to the first races, but I still need to assist him more and improve my feedback from the car to make his job easier.”
Despite a small scattering of wins, the 20-year-old remains a near-constant presence on the podium
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
F2 can be especially challenging due to the limited 45-minute practice session before qualifying, and the variety of tire compounds. “You also need to consider how changes will affect the car,” Fornaroli explains. “You
