Formula 3 produced one of its most competitive seasons to date as Leonardo Fornaroli emerged victorious at the final round at Monza.
Seven drivers went into the season finale with a mathematical chance of winning the championship, with slim margins between the top five in the standings.
After a dramatic overtake on Christian Mansell at the final corner of the last lap of the Feature Race, Fornaroli grabbed third place and snatched the title away from fellow Italian Gabriele Mini.
It would turn that the overtake would not have mattered as Mini was later disqualified from the race as his car did not meet the minimum requirements for tyre pressures. Fornaroli ultimately won the championship by 23 points over his fellow compatriot.
The Trident driver’s title success came seemingly out of nowhere given he had not won a junior category up to this point. Fornaroli finished fifth in Italian F4 in 2021 and eighth in FRECA the following year before moving to Formula 3 in 2023.
Leonardo Fornaroli proved consistency is ‘more important’ than race wins with Formula 3 title
The 19-year-old grabbed three podiums and one pole position in his debut season in F3 as he finished 11th in the standings.
In 2024, Fornaroli finished every race and scored points in all but two, claiming seven podiums on his way to the F3 title.
While his rivals were securing victories throughout the season – with Arvid Lindblad grabbing the most with four – Fornaroli did not win any races this season, or in fact in his time in F3 at all.
Speaking on the Autosport F1 & Motorsport Podcast, the Italian outlined that his title proved consistency was key in getting the edge over his competitors.
Reflecting on his season, Fornaroli said: “It took me a bit to realise what we did this year. I mean, it has been an amazing, one of the best seasons of my life.
“We proved that consistency is more important than race wins and yeah, I’m super happy about the result of this year.
“Now that I’ve won the championship, I don’t care if I didn’t win any races. But [it] would have been even better with one or two wins. Actually there were some chances, but we were very unlucky I have to say.”
Leonardo Fornaroli is looking to emulate Gabriel Bortoleto in Formula 2 next season with Invicta Racing
After winning the F3 title, the next natural step is to move into Formula 2, and that is exactly what Fornaroli has planned for 2025 as he follows in the footsteps of close friend Gabriel Bortoleto.
The Brazilian, who won the F3 crown in 2023, currently leads the F2 championship by a mere four and a half points. Driving with Invicta Racing, Bortoleto has grabbed two wins and five podiums as he looks to battle Isack Hadjar for the title in the final two rounds of the season.
READ MORE: Frederik Vesti explains why he was ‘spoiled’ in Formula 2 and FIA F3
Fornaroli will be heading to Invicta in 2025 as Bortoleto’s replacement after he confirmed his move to Sauber in F1 on a multi-year deal.
Being an F3 champion coming into F2 will bring enough pressure as it is. Joining the team that housed the previous F3 victor, who is currently enjoying success in the next step up will certainly bring some expectations that Fornaroli will replicate Bortoleto’s achievements.
Fornaroli says it is important to learn from Bortoleto about how Invicta operates, so he can be in the best possible position to be competitive in F2 next season.