Leonardo Fornaroli’s Championship-winning Monza weekend in his words

It was a race and moment that Leonardo Fornaroli described as “one of the best of my life,” but the Italian had to work for his 2024 Drivers’ title, and the fight went all the way to the final corner of the season.

But, things did not get off to the best of starts on a whirlwind weekend at Monza for the 2024 F3 Champion.

Here is how it unfolded, in his own words.

PRACTICE – P27

“We did the track walk on Thursday and saw that the track was very dirty. We were expecting the grip to be very low, so we waited a bit before going out on track, letting other drivers clean the track for a bit.

“Our plan was to do six push laps but as soon as I went out there was a Virtual Safety Car for the car stopped on track. Then I went for my first push but we had the Red Flag so came into the pit lane. We restarted, did the first push and then I started to hear a strange beep in my earplugs. I continued pushing but as I got to the second chicane the engine was going into safety mode.

“I really don’t know why. It was very strange. The engineers tried to do something but after going back out it was the same thing. It was the only problem of the season, and we were saying ‘why now?’ I was watching the other title contenders doing lap after lap and I was just thinking ‘what a beautiful start…’

“It wasn’t what we were hoping for but luckily it only happened in Free Practice.”

QUALIFYING – P1

“It was a clean session in terms of the result, but it was messy as usual. I was very confident going into it because also last year, the car was mega, and Monza is a track I feel very good around.

“We were all expecting it but were backing up and then we had the crash at the back, so the Red Flag happened. Coming out of the pit lane again, we had four minutes to go until the end, so it was about one or two push laps. I managed to get a tow but after the Ascari chicane, I was running too close to the car in front. I had to abort the lap and it was a very risky move I have to say.

READ MORE: 2024 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli graduates to Formula 2 with Invicta Racing

“I was really nervous about lifting off because if there was a Red Flag again, I would have been toast, I’d start from last. But the session was clean until the end, I tried to make a good gap before going for the lap, I was still too close but that was my mistake.

“I managed to have a really good lap, and I was very happy about it. It was a good start considering I’d only had one lap in Free Practice.”

SPRINT RACE – P8

“After the penalties, I had to gain as many positions as possible to try and take some points. But I also had to keep in mind a crash couldn’t happen, so it wasn’t an easy race. I was starting P16, I had Luke Browning behind me and two positions in front was Gabriele.

“I made a good start, made two places up after two laps and the pace was very strong until like four laps to go. I was feeling very confident with the car, but then with the four laps to go, just before the last Safety Car, I started to have some rear degradation.

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“It was very difficult because we went quite aggressive with the setup knowing that the Safety Car chance was very high. I also had to push a lot on the tyres because I was starting so far back and I ended up with rears that weren’t in the best condition.

“Luckily, we had the Safety Car so I cooled the tyres down a bit and went again for the last lap. Unfortunately, I lost one position, but we finished P8 and Gabriele was behind me. So, we gained two points on him because of the fastest lap point. So I was quite happy about that race.”

FEATURE RACE – P2 & CHAMPION

“The race was a mix of emotions. I started off pretty calm because we’d seen the pace was good and I was ready to manage everything. We had a clean first lap, I saw Alex was pushing and I decided to let him by to stay in his DRS without over-pushing.

“Then we had the Safety Car and I was pretty calm because I saw my teammate Sami was in front of Gabriele. I saw that the Ascari chicane was full of gravel and was dirty, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so slippery.

“We did the restart, I took my normal line but completely lost the rear and had to cut the chicane and I lost three positions, including the one to Gabriele.

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“I had to completely change the approach to the race. I had to attack, and I had some fights with him, we touched in the braking of Lesmo 2, I thought I broke my front wing, but it was alright.

“I overtook him, the pace was quite good, and I was a little bit calmer again. But when I overtook Mansell, I completely locked up the brakes. With the new asphalt, the middle of the track is higher than the edge, so I was exactly in the middle of the track and the floor touched it, so I locked up the fronts and had huge flat spots.

“I had to manage the tyres to get to the end but also push because they were in my DRS. I had another lock-up and then my tyres were completely gone. Starting the second to last lap, I lost the place to Gabriele, then to Mansell.

“I had to overtake Christian in front and I was nervous I have to say. I gave it everything and tried going into the second chicane but locked up because my front tyres were completely destroyed, so we went straight, and I had to let him go through.

“I knew that Ascari was basically the last chance, but he defended well so I couldn’t pass him. Going into that final corner, a lot went through my mind, but I said let’s try it. When they brake, I will remain full throttle for a bit more to see if I can get the move done and hope they don’t close the door.

“They went to the normal line, I went in and sent it. Luckily, he saw me, and I managed to make the move and take the podium and title in the last corner. It was an amazing feeling, one of the best of my life.”

UP NEXT – FORMULA 2

“It’s amazing to go to a top team in Formula 2. For two years, I was in a top team in F3 and now I will be in another top team in F2. It’s amazing. I really can’t wait. I’ve already talked with the team and spent some time with them. I’m already feeling very good and can’t wait to get started.”