FEATURE RACE: Fornaroli leads Invicta Racing 1-2 with superb drive in Budapest

Leonardo Fornaroli achieved his maiden FIA Formula 2 Feature Race victory, and in doing so led home an Invicta Racing one-two with his teammate Roman Stanek in second place.

The Championship leader managed the race expertly after being given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane to take his third win of the season, as Jak Crawford rounded out the podium for DAMS Lucas Oil.

AS IT HAPPENED

A rolling start kicked things off as pole-sitter Stanek led his teammate Fornaroli and Crawford away, as the top 12 drivers maintain position on the first lap with the track slightly wet off-line.

Crawford had lost ground to the top two and on Lap 4 was coming under pressure from Luke Browning. The Hitech TGR driver looked to have taken the place, but he ran wide at Turn 2 allowing his rival back through.

Lap 6 of 37 and Amaury Cordeel pulled his Rodin Motorsport car over to the side of the road, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car.

Racing resumed on Lap 8, and Arvid Lindblad, the lead driver on the Medium tyre, took two places at the opening two corners from Oliver Goethe and Joshua Duerksen to go to P5.

Lindblad’s Campos Racing teammate Josep María Martí lost two places to Gabriele Minì and Richard Verschoor at Turn 1 though, dropping the Spaniard to P11.

The Virtual Safety Car was signalled once again with Victor Martins stopping his ART Grand Prix on track at the exit of Turn 12.

Green flag conditions returned on Lap 11, and looking to get the jump on Lindblad, Goethe ran wide at Turn 12, dropping him to P8 behind Duerksen and Alexander Dunne.

Dunne and Duerksen then went wheel-to-wheel down the Main Straight, with the Irishman taking sixth from the AIX Racing driver, despite a lockup into Turn 2.

Campos then informed Lindblad that the Prime tyre was quicker than the Options on Lap 13, and his teammate Martí showed that as he took back the two places he lost to Verschoor and Minì on the run to Turn 2. The Spaniard then overtook Goethe for P8 on the run to Turn 12.

The first set of Soft tyre runners at the front then pitted, with Browning coming in from fourth, with Duerksen, Goethe and Minì all joining him in swapping to the Mediums.

Race leader Stanek and Crawford came in on Lap 15, with Fornaroli and Dunne following on the next lap. The Italian made the overcut work as he came back out ahead of his teammate.

Out in front, and yet to pit on the Medium tyres, Lindblad led Martí, with Verschoor in third, ahead of Dino Beganovic, Kush Maini, Cian Shields and Ritomo Miyata.

Fornaroli was in eighth, but only one second separated him and Stanek, who closed the gap on Lap 19. The Championship leader’s race then got more difficult when he was given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane.

Back at the front, Verschoor was the first of the alternative strategy runners to be called in on Lap 22, and he came back out just behind Goethe in P12.

Lindblad was in from the lead on Lap 23, with Martí in on the next lap, but both struggling to get their tyres up to temperature. They lost out to Verschoor, who had gotten up to P7. The Briton was now 10th, while his teammate fell through the field to P15.

On to Lap 27 of 37, Crawford closed to within 0.4s off Stanek. The American made a move at Turn 1 on the next lap, but locked up into the corner, allowing his rival to keep the position. Their battling allowed Fornaroli to escape up the road and by Lap 29, he was 4.9s clear.

Crawford was struggling behind Stanek now, and behind them Browning set a personal best time on Lap 33 to close to within 1.6s.

The fight for seventh then heated up as Beganovic pilled the pressure on Lindblad. The two went side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 34 and 35, as Goethe and Dunne started to join the fight.

Miyata finally pitted on the penultimate lap, promoting Stanek to second and Crawford to third.

Onto the last lap, Fornaroli was 7.2s clear out in front across the line to achieve his third win in as many weekends and his first FIA Formula 2 victory.

Stanek made it an Invicta one-two, with Crawford third, Browning fourth, Verschoor fifth, while Lindblad held of Beganovic to take P6. Goethe also fought off Dunne for P8 as Martí fought through to take the final point in P10.

KEY QUOTE – Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing

“What a race today. Finally, we managed to take a win in the Feature Race. It was a really stressful race especially at the end with the five second penalty, I had to stay in front by more than five seconds otherwise I was losing the win. But in the end, we didn’t have a Safety Car. Super happy about this race, now we go into the summer break, so some rest, but then we will be back for Monza.”

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Leonardo Fornaroli, now on 154 points extends his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with Jak Crawford up to second on 137 points. Richard Verschoor is down to third on 135, as Luke Browning goes up to fourth on 125 points, while Alexander Dunne rounds out the top five on 124.

In the Teams’ Standings, Invicta Racing continue to lead the way with 231 points, as Campos Racing maintain second on 189, with Hitech TGR third on 183. DAMS Lucas Oil are fourth on 163 points, as MP Motorsport round out the top five on 158.

UP NEXT

The drivers set off for their summer breaks but will return to the track at Monza for Round 11 on September 05-07.