Invicta Racing have confirmed the signing of the 2025 Formula 3 Champion Rafael Camara for the 2026 season, completing their line-up for next year.
After a stellar campaign in F3, during which he achieved four victories, five pole positions and podiums in total on his way to winning the title with a round to spare, Camara will now step up to Formula 2 with Invicta.
Camara graduates to the second tier with an impressive record in single seater racing having won the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and finished third in the Middle East equivalent that same year and in 2023 also.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member will now step up to Formula 2 with Invicta, racing alongside Joshua Duerksen.
I’m very proud to be joining Invicta Racing for my first season in Formula 2. Over the past few years, this team has become the top target for any driver who wants to race in F2 and has shown time and again that it knows how to develop young drivers. To follow Gabriel Bortoleto and Leonardo Fornaroli in making this step as Formula 3 Champion is a huge honour. After an incredible season in F3 this year, I feel ready for the next challenge, and I can’t wait to get started with the team. Camara on the news.
We’re thrilled to welcome Rafael to Invicta Racing for 2026. At every stage of his career to date, he’s shown pace, consistency, and maturity, delivering outstanding results that really speak for themselves. To have the reigning Formula 3 champion join the team for a third consecutive season underlines our commitment to providing the very best young talent with a platform to perform at the highest level, and we’re very excited to see what Rafael can achieve next season. James Robinson, Invicta Racing Team Principal.
Leonardo Fornaroli kicked off his Lusail weekend in strong form, setting the fastest time of the free practice session with a 1:38.656. The Invicta Racing driver completed that time with his final lap of the 45 minute outing, with Hitech TGR’s Dino Beganovic in second and Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne in third.
After the first set of laps though, it was MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor who topped the timesheets with a 1:41.163, with Fornaroli in second, over two-tenths behind.
Fornaroli then led the way with a 1:40.342, but it was close at the top, as Verschoor and Victor Martins went to within 0.080s off the Italian’s leading time.
Luke Browning then took over at the top on a 1:39.701, while Verschoor made things even closer, going to within 0.009s of his title rival, as Fornaroli settled into P3.
Browning lowered the time to beat on his next attempt with a 1:39.285, and this time he was followed by the Invicta pairing of Fornaroli and Roman Stanek. The Hitech TGR driver then ducked into the pitlane after that lap but the Championship leader continued on and went fastest on a 1:39.064.
Browning had then been on a quicker lap but ran wide in the final sector. However, his teammate Beganovic continued to fly the Hitech flag going to P2, 0.044s off Fornaroli’s time.
As the session entered its final stages, the drivers were still finding time on their hard tyres, with Dunne jumping up to third. Fornaroli continued to set the standard and improved to a 1:38.656 on his final lap, although Beganovic closed to the gap to 0.102s moment later.
Qualifying-
Oliver Goethe claimed his maiden FIA Formula 2 Aramco Pole Position Award, logging a 1:36.115 for MP Motorsport.
Championship leader, Leonardo Fornaroli had been fastest for much of the qualifying session but was bested by just 0.040s to wind up second, ahead of ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins in third.
PREMA Racing’s Sebastian Montoya set the early pace before the Invicta Racing duo of Roman Stanek and then Fornaroli went quicker still. The pair were split by Jak Crawford, but it was the Championship leader that went P1 on a 1:37.850 after the first laps.
Martins delivered a 1:37.512 to go to the top on his second attempt, until MP Motorsport teammates Oliver Goethe and Richard Verschoor went 1-2.
Stanek put Invicta back on top with a 1:37.189, but teammate Fornaroli once again went quickest of all, this time laying down on a 1:36.996. Several drivers began to peel into the pitlane to bring their first run to a close, but Goethe went to within 0.075s of Fornaroli on his third flying lap, improving to P2.
Into the final 10 minutes and everyone returned to the track with fresh Soft tyres and Dino Beganovic delivered a time good enough for provisional pole on a 1:36.826.
Fornaroli was flying behind though, and he went back to P1 on a 1:36.307. Stanek cut the gap down to 0.214s in P2, while Goethe delivered the third-quickest time to go ahead of Beganovic.
Goethe though found enough time to go in front of Fornaroli as both drivers improved on their final attempts, just 0.040s between them in favour of the MP driver as he set a 1:36.115.
However, Goethe was handed a grid penalty following the conclusion of qualifying, as he impeded Martinius Stenshorne at Turn 6. It then promotes Leonardo Fornaroli for pole position in the feature race.
Sprint Race-
Duerksen got the best launch from the front row to take the lead from Verschoor, while Nikola Tsolov slotted into third place on the run to Turn 1.
Championship leader, Leonardo Fornaroli went wheel-to-wheel with teammate Roman Stanek on the opening lap and attempted a move on the second tour, though was unable to clear his teammate as the Invicta Racing pair fought over seventh place.
Onto Lap 4, and with DRS enabled, Verschoor had clawed his way back to within a second of Duerksen and he swept back into the lead at Turn 1.
The MP title-hopeful was comfortably the fastest driver on track in the following laps, extending his advantage over the pack to two seconds.
Further back, a wide moment at Turn 4 on Lap 12 lost Victory Martins P11 to Dino Beganovic and on the following tour he was passed by Gabriele Mini, dropping him to 13th.
Lap 14 and a collision between TRIDENT teammate Laurens van Hoepen and James Wharton left the latter beached in the gravel at Turn 1. It brought out the Safety Car and wiped out race leader Verschoor’s four-second advantage.
Stanek opted to pit, the only driver from inside the top 10 to fit the softs, while Arvid Lindblad, Oliver Goethe, John Bennett, Luke Browning, Cian Shields and Kush Maini also fitted the red-marked tyres. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver did however come to a halt before racing resumed, extending the Safety Car period.
Racing resumed entering Lap 17 with Verschoor retaining his lead over Duerksen with seven laps to go. By Lap 20, the advantage was back out to 2.4s with Tsolov trailing by a further second in P3.
A spin for Shields on the exit of Turn 5 brought out the Safety Car once more, bringing the pack back together and setting up a final lap shootout. Verschoor got things back underway and the fight for the podium places heading into Turn 1 was on.
Tsolov was rounded by Villagomez, who ran wide ahead of Turn 2 but claimed the place, whilst the Bulgarian driver went wide himself and fell from third to 10th.
The Dutch driver was untroubled though, taking the Lusail Sprint Race victory ahead of Duerksen and Villagomez after his final lap pass on Tsolov.
Feature Race-
It was a great start from Martins, taking the lead from Fornaroli going into Turn 1, while Dunne took P4 for Oliver Goethe at Turn 3.
The Rodin driver was chasing Roman Stanek for third, but ran wide at the final corner. It allowed Goethe and Nikola Tsolov to close in, although Dunne was able to hold off the chasing pair.
Martins then set the fastest lap and by the start of lap 3, he had built up a 1.7s gap to Fornaroli, with the Italian coming on the radio to complain of his soft tyres to his Invicta tam.
Further behind them, Sebastian Montoya used the DRS to good effect to get ahead of Tsolov for P6 into Turn 1. Martins was 4.1s clear of Fornaroli by the start of Lap 5, and it looked like Invicta were struggling on the soft tyres, as Dunne overtook Stanek for P3 into Turn 1.
The pit window opened up at the end of Lap 6 and Fornaroli, Dunne, Montoya, Verschoor and Duerksen came in to swap to the Hard tyres.
The race leader was in on the next lap, joined in the pitlane by Goethe and Stanek. It was a slow stop for Martins, but he was still able to come back out ahead of Fornaroli and Dunne.
At the front of the field, Dino Beganovic was the lead driver on the alternative strategy and by the end of Lap 10, he had built a 7.1s lead to Arvid Lindblad.
But in the battle for the net race lead, Fornaroli and Dunne were closing in on Martins, the Championship leader 1.4s behind by the start of Lap 11. Verschoor was looking to fight his way through the field and having overtaken Villagomez, he bided his time before overtaking Stanek, putting him in a net P7.
The Safety Car was then deployed on Lap 15, with Oliver Goethe having stopped on track, just as Dunne and Tsolov were given five-second time penalties for an unsafe release in the pitlane.
Racing resumed on Lap 17 of 32, and Beganovic once again was showing good pace, and had built a 1.7s lead to teammate Luke Browning by the start of the next lap.
Martins was now up to fifth, leading the drivers who had pitted, but he was struggling to overtake Laurens van Hoepen, allowing Fornaroli to close in on the Frenchman.
Beganovic was 4.2s clear of Browning at the start of Lap 22, while Fornaroli was now 1.1s behind Martins, just as Lindblad on his Soft tyres, continued to reduce the gap.
But by Lap 25, the option tyre runners were starting to struggle, as Dunne closed in on Lindblad for seventh on the road. However, the Campos Racing driver held him off at Turn 1.
In the battle for the net race lead, Fornaroli was now within DRS range of Martins, while Dunne went to the inside of Lindblad at Turn 1 to take seventh place.
After a superb stint, Beganovic was called in to fit the softs at the end of Lap 27, coming back out in P12. Browning and Bennett then pitted on Lap 29, leaving Martins and Fornaroli to fight for the race win.
However the ART driver was 1.1s clear of Fornaroli, as Dunne closed in, looking to build the five second gap he needed to keep third ahead of Lindblad. But out in front, Martins had done enough to win the Feature Race, but the day belonged to Fornaroli, as he claimed the 2025 FIA Formula 2 title by finishing second.
Invicta Racing have announced that Joshua Duerksen will be racing for the team in the 2026 Formula 2 season.
Duerksen is set to return for a third season in the Championship, having achieved two victories and four podiums in his rookie campaign in 2024, finishing 10th in the standings with 87 points.
So far this season through the first 12 rounds of his second year in F2, Duerksen has one win and five podiums in total.
Prior to his stint in Formula 2, finished second in the 2019 Formula 4 UAE Championship and sixth in the 2020 ADAC F4 and 2021 Italian F4 seasons.
I’m incredibly proud to be representing Invicta Racing and Paraguay for the 2026 Formula 2 season. The team has shown over several years that it’s one of the very best in the championship, and I’m excited to seize this huge opportunity. I’ve learned a lot during my time in F2 so far, and I feel ready to fight at the very front every weekend and to show what Paraguay is capable of. I’m really looking forward to starting work with everyone in the team, and I’m confident that we can achieve great things together next year. Duerksen on the news.
Joshua has been one of the standout performers in Formula 2 over the past couple of seasons and we’re very excited to welcome him to Invicta Racing for 2026. He’s a proven race winner with not only the speed, but the mindset to fight at the sharp end of the grid. Joshua’s ability to extract performance under pressure and his commitment to constant improvement have immediately impressed us, and I’m confident that we will deliver some strong results together next year. James Robinson, Invicta Racing Team Principal.
Luke Browning made a quick start to his Budapest weekend, as the Hitech TGR driver topped the timesheets of Friday’s morning’s Free Practice session.
With his final lap of the 45 minute outing, the Williams Racing Driver Academy member completed a 1:30.609 to go to P1 at the chequered flag, with Oliver Goethe and Alexander Dunne rounding out the top three.
The red flags were waving early on in the session following a stoppage for ART Grand Prix driver Ritomo Miyata’s at the exit of Turn 1.
Running resumed with just under 35 minutes to go, and it was AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen that set the pace on a 1:32.879.
However, that time was beaten by several drivers, as the fastest lap changed hands on several occasions. But it was Goethe that led Richard Verschoor, in an MP Motorsport 1-2 with a 1:31.139.
The MP pairing continued to set the pace as Goethe improved to a 1:30.753, while Verschoor stayed in P2, 0.291s off his teammate.
Victor Martins and Dino Beganovic then went to second and third respectively, but both finished laps that were over two and a half tenths off Goethe, the German having just lowered the time to beat to a 1:30.742.
As the session entered into its final 10 minutes, Invicta Racing’s Roman Stanek went up to second, cutting the gap to P1 to 0.176s.
But the Czech driver was quickly pushed down to P4 as Dunne and then Browning went up to second. However, the Hitech driver was still 0.131s off Goethe’s leading time.
As the session entered into its final moments, several drivers were still improving, one of those being Browning, who completed a 1:30.609 to snatch P1 away from Goethe.
Qualifying-
Roman Stanek took his maiden Aramco Pole Position Award with a superb performance in Budapest, beating his Invicta Racing teammate Leonardo Fornaroli to the top spot.
The Czech driver completed a 1:28.779 to go P1 but had to watch on front the pit lane as Fornaroli finished his final attempt. However, the Italian missed out on pole by 0.146s, as DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford sealed P3.
Arvid Lindblad was the first driver to set a lap and completed a 1:30.319 to set the early benchmark. But there were several improvements behind him, as Oliver Goethe continued his form from Free Practice to go top on a 1:29.308.
Then, Stanek eclipsed the MP Motorsport driver’s time by 0.141s to take P1 after the first lap.
The drivers were able to push on for a second lap on their soft tyres, and Stanek extended his advantage out in front with a 1:29.107, putting 0.181s between he and Goethe.
Stanek’s teammate Fornaroli had made the decision to come out of the pitlane later than the rest of his rivals, giving him the chance to do his push laps on an empty track.
The Championship leader briefly went P1 but his time was deleted for exceeding track limits. He continued for another attempt, ending up P4 just as the field returned for their final laps.
With a new set of soft tyres, Stanek lowered the benchmark time to a 1:28.779, with Crawford going up to second, 0.173s off the pace, as Luke Browning went up to P3.
Fornaroli the returned to the track with just over four minutes left in the session, having fallen outside the top 10, as his rivals finished came back into the pitlane.
With the chequered flag waving the Invicta driver went to P2, 0.146s off Stanek, who took his maiden Formula 2 Pole Position.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Stanek, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Crawford, P4: Browning, P5: Duerksen, P6: Goethe, P7: Martins, P8: Lindblad, P9: Dunne and P10: Marti.
Oliver Goethe got the Sakhir race weekend off to a great start for MP Motorsport, leading teammate Richard Vershoor in Free Practice around the Bahrain International Circuit.
The Red Bull Junior driver saved his best effort for the final minutes, a 1:47.789 leaving him fastest going into Qualifying. Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Marti rounded out the top three.
Joshua Duerksen got the ball rolling in the session, recording a 1:48.954 as the early benchmark time for AIX Racing. DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford went second in the opening 10 minutes, just 0.022s down on the Paraguayan.
Marti moved to P1 as the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes. He set a 1:48.379 for Campos, 0.008s quicker than Victor Martins who moved up to P2 in his Williams liveried – ART Grand Prix car.
Much of the remaining laps were dedicated to race running, though Goethe surged to the top in the final two minutes with a 1:47.789 for MP.
Qualifying-
It was a direct fight between Leonardo Fornaroli and Victor Martins for top spot, with the former earning his first Formula 2 pole position in the end.
The Invicta Racing driver secured P1 with a 1:44.008 to pip the Frenchman by over a tenth, while Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning earned third position at the chequered flag.
After several build laps, ART’s Martins set the early pace and benchmark to beat, going to the top with a 1:45.110.
Rodin Motorsport driver, Alexander Duune was just 0.002s down on that effort to go second but they were both blown out of the water by Fornaroli, who laid down a 1:44.642 for the top.
Half of the field opted to wait and as the first 11 returned to the pitlane, the others joined the circuit for their first attempts. Josep Maria Marti was the quickest of the second group, going up to P2 for Campos Racing and 0.223s down on the provisional pole sitter.
With eight minutes remaining, everyone rejoined the circuit for their final attempts. Martins improved to re-take the top spot with a 1:44.163 and he was comfortably clear, but Fornaroli denied him once more, going back to P1 to earn his maiden F2 pole position.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Fornaroli, P2: Martins, P3: Browing, P4: Dunne, P5: Stanek, P6: Verschoor, P7: Meguetounif, P8: Villagomez, P9: Beganovic and P10: Duerksen.
Invicta Racing have confirmed the signing of Roman Stanek for the 2025 Formula 2 season, completing their driver lineup for this year following the announcement of F3 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli.
Stanek returns for a third season in F2 having previously won the 2024 Melbourne Sprint Race having also achieved a further eight point finishes across his previous two seasons.
Prior to that, the Czech driver fought for the title until the final round of the 2022 Formula 3 Championship, winning one race and achieving a further three podiums.
Speaking following the announcement, Stanek was excited to have the opportunity to race for the 2024 Champions.
I can’t wait to drive for Invicta Racing in 2025. The team has been fighting at the front of the field all season, achieved some really great results and is undoubtedly one of the most desirable options in the paddock for next year. That means there’ll be some pressure for Leonardo (Fornaroli) and I, but I think we’re up to the challenge. I’m ready for whatever F2 throws at me in 2025. Stanek on the news.
We’re thrilled to have Roman onboard for 2025. His experience of F2 in recent years, as well as the other series he’s raced in will be invaluable to Invicta Racing in 2025. I see the partnership between himself and Leonardo (Fornaroli) being extremely fruitful as well. That mix of approaches from a driver who knows the ropes and one fresh to the series will push the team forward, of that I have no doubt. Andy Roche, Invicta Racing Team Principal.
Leonardo Fornaroli will step up to Formula 2 next season with Invicta Racing the team have confirmed.
After winning the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship at the final round in Monza, Fornaroli’s next step is finalised, with the Italian driver the first to be announced for the 2025 campaign.
As part of his preparations for the 2025 season, the team has confirmed that Fornaroli will be participating in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi later this year with the team.
Fornaroli enjoyed his finest season to date, achieving seven podium finishes, two pole position and two fastest laps en route to the title with Trident.
I’m so happy to be able to celebrate winning the F3 championship with this news and I cannot wait to step up to Formula 2 next season. Invicta Racing has proven itself over many years to be one of the best teams in Formula 2, including this season. I’m really excited to work with the team for the 2025 season. I want to take this opportunity to thank Trident for the past three years, they really are the best team in F3. To go from the best team in F3 to the best in F2 is a truly a dream come true. Fornaroli on the news.
We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Leonardo to the team for 2025. Winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship is an incredible achievement for him and I have no doubt that he’ll do a brilliant job in 2025. We’ve followed Leonardo’s single-seater career for a few years now and it’s clear that he’s an outstanding talent. Following in the footsteps of Gabriel this year, we’re thrilled to have the FIA Formula 3 Champion join our team for the second year in a row. Andy Roche, Team Principal of Invicta Racing.
Zane Maloney made a strong start to his Monza weekend, finishing the practice session fastest of all, thanks to Rodin Motorsport driver’s time of a 1:32.285.
The Bajan driver was in strong form throughout and ended the session over a tenth clear of Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto, as Zak O’Sullivan rounded out the top three for ART Grand Prix.
However it was O’Sullivan who was fastest of all after the first set of laps on a 1:34.577 beating Oliver Bearman to the top time by 0.174s.
But after rounding the track for the second time, Maloney went to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:34.060 only for Trident’s Richard Verschoor to eclipse him by 0.048s.
The Rodin driver later set a time of 1:33.664 to return to P1 with Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron now his nearest rival, 0.076s behind. The fastest time changed hands again, as Maloney went fastest once more. Moments later though, Dennis Hauger’s lap of 1:33.209 put him on top for the first time in the session.
The majority of the grid opted to pit with 20 minutes but returned to the track a few minutes later with Joshua Duersken now fastest on a 1:32.953, two-tenths clear of Verschoor in second.
Rodin were showing good pace and while Maloney jumped to second, he was pushed down to third by his teammate Ritomo Miyata who went fastest on a 1:32.946.
As we headed into the final 10 minutes of the session, times began to tumble as both Bearman and Bortoleto went quickest. However it was Maloney again who ended up on top thanks to a 1:32.532.
As we entered the final couple of minutes, the red flags were waved as Roman Stanek collided into the barrier at Serraglio. The session was not restarted leaving Maloney on top ahead of Bortoleto and O’Sullivan.
Qualifying-
Zane Maloney left it late in the day to seal pole position at a dramatic Monza qualifying. The Rodin Motorsport driver completed a lap of 1: 32.160 to win out in a battle with fellow title contenders Isack Hadjar and Paul Aron.
It was a slow start to the session as while the rest of the field chose to stay in the pit lane, Roman Stanek decided to go out on track, The Trident driver completed a lap of 1:34.992 just as most of the grid made their way out on the circuit.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was next to set a lap, and he lowered the benchmark to 1:32.941 with Enzo Fittipaldi going closest to the PREMA Racing driver’s time in second, 0.256s off top spot.
Practice pace setter Maloney had been on a good lap and was about to cross the line but the red flags were waved with the marshals needing to clear a polystyrene board from the track.
The session resumed with 16 minutes left on the clock, but as the times started to pour in once more, the red flags were out for a second time.
This time it was Gabriel Bortoleto stuck in the gravel at the second Lesmo. The Invicta Racing driver had not set a lap and will now start both races from the back of the grid, a blow to his title challenge.
The action resumed with only seven minutes left to go as the drivers poured out of the pitlane with just eight out of 22 having set a representative lap time.
A flurry of laps followed soon after with Hadjar going to the top of the timesheets on a 1:32.249 while Aron followed him across the line to go second.
But Maloney was on a charge and went fastest in the middle sector before beating the Campos Racing driver to the top spot 0.089s.
The drivers pushed on for a second set of laps and while there were some improvements, no-one could match Maloney’s time giving him his first pole position.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Maloeny, P2: Hadjar, P3: Aron, P4: Hauger, P5: Martins, P6: Antonelli, P7: Marti, P8: Bearman, P9: Cordeel and P10: Fittipaldi.
Day 2-
It was a fast start for pole-sitter Enzo Fittipaldi but a slow getaway for fellow front row starter, Amaury Cordeel dropped down to fourth before reaching Turn 1.
However, Fittipaldi went wide at Turn 1, giving Josep Maria Marti the chance to take the lead from the Van Amersfoort Racing driver at the Curva Grande with Martins watching on in third.
But there was drama at the back of the field as Zak O’Sullivan made contact with debutant Oliver Goethe on the run to Turn 1.
The ART driver was then involved in another collision moments later as he and Andrea Kimi Antonelli collided heading into the first chicane. O’Sullivan was out of the race while the PREMA Racing driver pitted with a puncture and front wing damage.
Marti led the pack away as we resumed racing on Lap 4, following a Safety Car, but Fittipaldi was able to use the tow to get ahead on the main straight.
Fittipaldi struggled for the rest of the lap as Martins and Bearman got ahead of him, demoting him to P4.
On to Lap 5 and the battle for P2 commenced, as Bearman got ahead of Martins into the Roggia chicane. Bearman was showing great pace and was right on the back of Marti heading to Turn 1 at the start of Lap 7.
A few laps on Martins overtook Marti for P2 heading to Turn 1. Marti though was not giving up on the position and made a late lunge on the Frenchman heading into Turn 1. Both drivers ran wide but kept the position, as Fittipaldi and Duerksen closed in as Lap 9 got underway.
Bearman’s lead was over two seconds as we started Lap 10, but the fight for the podium was heating up. Marti was now being attacked by Fittipaldi, and the VAR driver took P3 into the first corner.
Campos were struggling as Isack Hadjar lost out to a charging Gabriel Bortoleto, who after starting from last, claimed P12 down the main straight.
The battle for the points was incredibly tight and Aron shut the door on Crawford into the first chicane, allowing Hauger to take P8 from the DAMS Lucas Oil driver at the Curva Grande.
On to Lap 17, Fittipaldi ran wide at the exit of the Roggia chicane, giving Marti and Maloney the chance to close right in on him. He held them off until Turn 1 on the following lap before Marti dived down the inside to take P4.
As the same time, Maloney and Aron made contact at the same corner forcing the Hitech driver to pit with front wing damage.
Back at the front, the top three had separated themselves from the rest of the field as Bearman crossed the line to take his second consecutive victory at Monza.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bearman, P2: Martins, P3: Duerksen, P4: Marti, P5: Maloney, P6: Crawford, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Bortoleto, P8: Hauger and P10: Hadjar.
Day 3-
It was a brilliant start from pole for Maloney, likewise for third-placed Paul Aron, although it was a slow getaway for Championship leader Isack Hadjar.
However, there was drama at Turn 1 as Josep Maria Marti locked up into the corner following his fast start, sending him into the back of Aron, who was out of the race following the contact.
The Safety Car was called upon and with the track cleared, racing resumed on Lap 3 as Maloney led Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Just behind them, Hadjar, who had dropped to fifth, made up one position after getting ahead of the fast-starting AIX Racing car of Joshua Duerksen only for the AIX driver to retake the position down the main straight on lap 5.
As Lap 6 got underway, Maloney had a lead of over a second a half to Bearman, while Duerksen was on the charge, getting ahead of Antonelli heading into Turn 1.
Just as some of the drivers came out of the pit lane, the Safety Car was called upon with Dennis Hauger having spun at Turn 1 following contact with Ritomo Miyata.
Significantly, Bortoleto was now the net race leader having started in P22 with Verschoor behind and Maloney third in the queue of those to have made their mandatory pit stop.
We returned to racing on lap 11 of 30 with the MP Motorsport debutant Oliver Goethe leading Invicta’s Kush Maini.
As the drivers got ready to start Lap 13, Maloney made a significant move as he got ahead of Verschoor heading to parabolica. This then put him right on the back of Bortoleto, but only briefly as the Brazilian got ahead of Juan Manuel Correa heading to Turn 1.
Bortoleto and Maloney were picking their way through the filed as the former got ahead of Goethe for P2, while the latter pulled off another move at the Parabolica on Correa.
On to Lap 19 and Maloney was losing time to Bortoleto in the battle for the race win as he struggled to get past Goethe. He eventually made the move heading into the Ascari chicane later in the lap, but he was now over four seconds behind Bortoleto.
The two PREMA drivers went wheel to wheel into Turn 1 with Antonelli getting ahead at the exit of Turn 2. Bearman tried to stay on the outside but dipped a tyre in the gravel, giving Duerksen the chance to go around him.
The Italian was on the charge and got ahead of Martins down the main straight to get up to P5, with Goethe having finally pitted and dropped to P16. Martins then lost another place a lap later with Duersken getting ahead under braking into Turn 1.
Maini came in on Lap 29, leaving Bortoleto out front by himself for the final two laps before crossing the line to take his second victory of the season.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Maloney, P3: Verschoor, P4: Antonelli, P5: Duerksen, P6: Martins, P7: Bearman, P8: Villagomez, P9: Crawford and P10: Fittipaldi.
Isack Hadjar was fastest of all in the Spielberg free practice session, after he completed a lap of 1:16.441 to set the pace ahead of qualifying.
The Campos racing driver was over two-tenths clear out front of Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron in second and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford in third.
It was PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman that led the way early on though thanks to a time of 1:17.011, putting him 0.076s clear of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger in second.
The fastest time continued to change hands and next to top the timesheets was Paul Aron. The Hitech driver’s time of 1:16.680 put him two-tenths in front of ART Grands Prix Victor Martins.
Fresh from his Feature Race victory in Barcelona, Crawford looked to be continuing that fine form as he went up to second, 0.162s off Aron’s leading time.
The Red flags were waved moments later after AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard pulled over to the side of the road on the main straight.
With the track then clear, the session resumed to green flag conditions and Crawford once again improved on his best effort.
Campos’ Hadjar then took over at the top of the leaderboard on a 1:16.624 eclipsing Aron’s time by just 0.056s. The Frenchman then extended his lead out front on his next flying effort, this time setting a lap of 1:16.441.
No one could improve late on, which left Hadjar with the fastest time ahead of Aron and Crawford.
Qualifying-
MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger sealed his second pole position of the season after a close battle with AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen in a dramatic Spielberg Qualifying.
The Norwegian driver completed a lap of 1:15.487 to lead Duerksen by just 0.008s, as Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top three.
It was Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar that led the way in the early stages though, an opening time of 1:15.828 put him over two-tenths clear of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron in second.
While most went for cool down laps, others continued to push but no one could trouble the top two. Returning to the pitlane, Hadjar had smoke coming from the rear of his car, with the issue ruling him out the remained of the session.
With five minutes left, the final few laps started and after leading the rest of the field around the track, Hauger went to the top of the timesheets with a 1:15.487.
The Paraguayan improved further on his next flying lap to go within 0.008s of top spot, but in the end Hauger held on to pole position with Bortoleto in third.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Hauger, P2: Duerksen, P3: Bortoelto, P4: Colapinto, P5: Aron, P6: Barnard, P7: Hadjar, P8: Marti, P9: Bearman and P10: Maini.
Day 2-
It was a superb start for Bearman as he took the lead from pole-sitter Kush Maini on the run up to Turn 1. The Invicta Racing driver then ost another place to Marti later in the lap.
By the end of lap 3, Bearman was now over two seconds clear of Marti. The Spaniard was also out of DRS range of Maini in third who was coming under attack from Taylor Barnard, Paul Aron and his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.
At the start of lap 6, the gaps were starting to close, as Marti had moved to within a second a half of Bearman, while Maini was now within DRS range of the Campos rookie.
Barnard though was beginning to loose touch with Maini in the battle for P3, and the AIX Racing driver then dropped down to fifth after Aron dived down his inside at Turn 3. Back at the front, Bearman’s margin had gone with Marti now within DRS range of the Briton, with Maini just behind as they started lap 9.
At the halfway stage of the race, Joshua Duerksen made his way past his AIX Racing teammate Barnard after diving down his inside on the entry to turn 3.
Maini was beginning to struggle on lap 20 and fell out of DRS range of Marti up ahead. The Invicta driver then lost his place on the podium to Aron at the exit of Turn 3 on the next lap, with teammate Bortoleto following the Estonian through at the next corner.
But this allowed Bearman and Marti to escape on the road with Aron and Bortoleto now over a second away from the top two fighting for the final spot on the podium. The battles had also started further back as Duerksen lost P7 to Hauger on lap 24.
By the end of lap 26, Bearman had extended his lead to over one second to Marti while Bortoleto was all over the back of Aron. Just behind them, Maini lost out to the two MP drivers Colapinto and Hauger and dropped to seventh.
Onto the final lap, and Bearman extended his lead to nearly two seconds before crossing the line to take victory ahead of Marti, while Aron held off Bortoleto to take his seventh podium of the year.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bearman, P2: Marti, P3: Aron, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Hauger, P6: Crawford, P7: Maini, P8: Duerksen, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Martins.
Day 3-
There was drama before the lights even went out, as pole-sitter Dennis Hauger at the start of the formation lap, alongside Kush Maini and Jak Crawford, forcing the three drivers to start from the pitlane.
This then left Duerksen as the lead car on the grid and he made a fast start ahead of Bortoleto with Colapinto in third and Championship leader Paul Aron in fourth.
Colapinto was the lone driver in the top five to start on the softs and he was coming under pressure from Aron and Isack Hadjar who were on supersofts. Further up the road, Duerksen and Bortoleto were now battling for the lead with the Brazilian making the move down the inside at Turn 4 on Lap 4.
On lap 6, Josep Maria Marti lost P6 to sprint race winner, Oliver Bearman, the Prema racer getting past at the exit of turn 3. Moments later, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed with Zane Maloney stopping on track. After his Rodin Motorsport car was cleared, racing resumed with a number of supersoft runners then pitting for the softs.
That included Marti, Duerksen, Bortoleto, Taylor Barnard, Richard Verschoor and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – with the latter stalling in the pitlane dropping him to the back of the field.
Onto lap 18 and Aron had now got past Duerksen, and further up the road, Bortoleto was now right on the back of Marti in the battle for what would turn out to be the lead of the race. The Brazilian driver dived down the inside of his fellow rookie at Turn 3 to take the position.
Enzo Fittipaldi was having a strong day as he made his way past his Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez and Trident’s Roman Stanek with Duerksen his next target in P9.
The battle between the two Campos drivers then resumed on lap 32, just as the leader Colapinto made his mandatory pit stop. The MP rookie came back out in P8 behind a squabbling Fittipaldi and Duerksen. But he quickly overtook both of them at Turns 3 and 4 on lap 35, putting him up to fifth and just under three seconds behind Aron.
Out front, Bortoleto’s lead over Hadjar was over three and a half seconds, with the Frenchman coming under pressure from Marti, Aron and a flying Colapinto.
The Argentine took P4 from Aron at Turn 4 on Lap 38, before moving past Marti on the next tour. Onto the final lap, he overtook Hadjar for second but there was no catching Bortoleto, who crossed the line to take his first Formula 2 victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Colapinto, P3: Hadjar, P4: Fittipaldi, P5: Aron, P6: Durksen, P7: Cordeel, P8: Barnard, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Crawford.
Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Paul Aron was the fastest of all during the Imola Free Practice session, setting a time of 1:28.852 to top the timesheets. He finished ahead of Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney.
It was a busy start to the session as Trident’s Roman Stanek set the early pace, competing a lap of 1:30.784 to lead Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar by just 0.028s.
The Frenchman then lowered the time to beat to a 1:29.805, edging out his nearest rival in Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini by just 0.040s.
The fastest time continued to change hands and Dennis Hauger was the next driver to top the leaderboard. His lap of 1:29.539 put him clear of Championship leader Maloney by 0.088s.
As the session entered its final stages, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron eclipsed Bortoleto’s time by 0.071s to take the top spot, before Maloeny crossed the line to go up third.
There was a late red flag waved after PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman crashed into the barrier at the exit of Turn 4, and with little time remaining the session was not restarted.
Qualifying-
Gabriel Bortoleto earned pole position in an action-packed Imola Qualifying, a session impacted by track limits violations. The Invicta Racing driver completed a lap of 1:27.056 to take the top spot ahead of PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.
With tyre preparation done, the early times started to filter through, and it was Bortoleto that led the way thanks to a alp of 1:28.044 edging out Hadjar by just 0.026s.
The Invicta Racing driver then lowered the time to beat on his next flying effort, completing a 1:27.739 on this occasion. Also improving was Zane Maloney, with the Rodin Motorsport driver moving up to second, albeit 0.271 off the leading time.
After returning to the pitlane for a new set of the Pirelli Supersoft tyres, the drivers returned to the track with 12 minutes left and this time it was Bearman who rocketed to the top of the timesheets.
The PREMA driver’s 1:27.111 put him on top briefly pushing his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli down to second. Hadjar split the pair moments later as he went back up to P2. But then came Bortoleto on his final flying lap, and the Invicta rookie set a time of 1:27.056 to snatch pole position.
Bearman and Antonelli did have their final laps provisionally deleted track limits, although the Stewards reinstated their times, along with several others, following the conclusion of the session.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Bearman, P3: Hadjar, P4: Antonelli, P5: Durksen, P6: Maloney, P7: Stanek, P8: Aron, P9: Colapinto and P10: Cordeel.
Day 2-
Aron made a fast start from P3, getting ahead of Colapinto and teammate Amaury Cordeel to take the lead into Turn 3. But the Safety Car was immediately required following contact between Roman Stanek and Isack Hadjar that led to several other incidents.
We were back to racing on lap 6 as Aron extended his lead over his teammate Cordeel. A lap later, the Belgian went wide at the penultimate corner giving Colapinto the chance to overtake him for P2 down the main straight.
By lap 9, Colapinto was beginning to close the gap to Aron while Cordeel, having dropped back from the top two, was coming under pressure from Zane Maloney, Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto.
On lap 12, Colapinto was now within DRS range of Aron, while Maloney was beginning to attack Cordeel. However, both Hitech’s were proving difficult to pass.
After biding his time behind the Hitech car, Maloney finally made his move past Cordeel around the outside at Turn 3 on lap 22, putting him on course for his fourth podium of the year.
On the penultimate lap and having dropped back from the leader, Colapinto closed on Aron once more before making a last lap move past his fellow rookie around at the outside at Tamburello.
The move earned the MP driver his first victory in Formula 2, while Aron took second place ahead of Maloney. The full top 10 are- P1: Colapinto, P2: Aron, P3: Maloney, P4: Cordeel, P5: Bearman, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Verschoor, P8: Maini, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Antonelli.
Day 3-
Pole-sitter Bortoleto suffered a slow getaway and dropped down to fourth at the start giving Oliver Bearman the lead of the line. This promoted Hadjar up to second, while Duerksen went to P3 from fifth on the grid.
The conclusion of lap 6 brought the first pit stops, with Hadjar and Duerksen swapping their supersofts for the Mediums. Also coming into the pitlane was Zane Maloney and Roman Stanek, the latter jumping ahead of the Rodin Motorsport driver during the exchange.
Bearman then led a gaggle of cars including Bortoleto, Colapinto and Aron into the pitlane on the next lap. The Prema driver stalled twice as he tried to pull away, handing Hadjar the effective race lead.
Back in the battle for the effective race lead, Bortoleto was closing the gap to Hadjar. The Campos driver’s two second lead now just 1.3s by the end of lap 16.
Further back, there was frustration for Maloney, who was being held up by Stanek and on lap 17, the Championship leader could see Jak Crawford, Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger closing in on his wing mirrors.
Maloney was beginning to struggle and after giving the Bajan driver the hurry up on the radio Crawford made the move past him at the exit of Turn 7.
By lap 30, the drivers on the alternative strategy were beginning to pit, but it was two bad stops for Cordeel and Marti, as both drivers had tyres come off their cars as they looked to come back out on track, ruling them out of the race.
Back on track, Bortoleto had closed right up to Hadjar, but the Frenchman was proving tough in defence. The Red Bull Junior did just enough in the end to take his second feature race victory in F2, with Bortoleto settling for second, while Duerksen ran a strong race to finish third and making him the first driver from Paraguay on the podium in F2.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Duerksen, P4: Antonelli, P5: Colapinto, P6: Aron, P7: Crawford, P8: Correa, P9: Martins and P10: Verschoor.
Isack Hadjar made a fine start to the opening round of the weekend in Sakhir by topping the timesheets in Free Practice. The Campos Racing driver left it late in the session to complete a lap of 1:45.099 to lead MP Motorsport rookie Franco Colapinto by 0.137s.
As the lights turned green, most teams opted to keep their cars in the pitlane although Hadjar was the first driver out on track to complete a lap, however it was his Campos teammate Josep Maria Marti who set the early benchmark with a time of 1:45.849.
But then the Rodin Motorsport pair of Zane Maloney and Ritomo Miyata, with the former going to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1:45.588.
Now with the session winding down to a close and the drivers now returning to the track for a final few laps, Hadjar secured the top spot.
Qualifying-
Kush Maini scored his maiden pole position in FIA Formula 2 as he beat out teammate Gabriel Bortoleto to seal a P1 start for Saturday’s Feature Race.
On his final attempt in Qualifying, Maini completed a lap of 1:41.696 to go to the top of the timesheets, Bortoleto followed his teammate across the line two-tenths off the pole-winning effort.
It was Maini who set the early pace for Invicta Racing, aided by a strong middle sector, he completed a lap of 1:42.533 to lead Hauger by just 0.045s.
With 10 minutes gone, the driver returned to the pitlane for some fresher tyres. However, that was when Campos elected to send Hadjar and Josep Maria Marti out on track for the first time in the session.
The rest of the field then emerged from the pit lane ahead of their final runs with Maloney going fastest. But the Bajan’s time was quickly eclipsed by the Invicta pair.
Maloney and a number of other drivers including ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, made their second attempts at the top spot, but with the Pirelli rubber not offer more than one push lap.
However… Kush Maini has been disqualified from the final Qualifying classification after his Invicta Racing car was found in breach of the Technical Regulations.
The Stewards found that the height of the left undertray front external strake of the car was below the required minimum height and therefore not in line with the Technical Regulations.
As a consequence, all of Maini’s times set during the Qualifying session has been removed. And will be starting the Sprint Race & Feature Race from the back of the grid. Instead, Gabriel Bortoleto has inherited pole position.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Hadjar, P3: Maloney, P4: Hauger, P5: Miyata, P6: O’Sullivan, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Martins, P9: Barnard and P10: Crawford.
Jordan's Track Talk 