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The 2024 F3 championship has been a tight battle all season long with several drivers in contention, but on the final lap of the final race, Leonardo Fornaroli sealed the deal and won the championship.В?
Heading into the final race of the F3 season, six drivers were in contention for the championship. Leonardo Fornaroli, Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning, Arvid Lindblad, Dino Beganovic and Christian Mansell. But as the Monza weekend progressed, it was clear that the championship came down to either Fornaroli or Mini.
The Feature Race around Italy’s Temple of Speed saw Browning spin in the early stages, wrecking his hopes of becoming champion. The three others in contention would have struggled given their positions on the grid, but Mansell did play a part in Fornaroli winning the race.
With Sami Meguetounif out front leading the pack, there were constant battles between Mini, Mansell and Fornaroli. In the final stages of the race, Mini was in P2 with Mansell behind and then Fornaroli. This meant that Mini, who had won six races this season, would have become the champion.
However, at the final corner, Fornaroli overtook Mansell, making him the 2024 champion.
After the race, Fornaroli spoke to media, including FormulaNerds, in the press conference following him winning the title.
‘I don’t have any words to describe it’
Fornaroli winning the F3 championship marks the first time in the series’ history that an Italian driver has taken the title. And for Fornaroli, not only is that something to be proud of, but he won it in front of his home crowd at the infamous Italian Autodromo Nazionale Monza with the support of his Italian feeder series team, Trident.
When asked about this by FormulaNerds, Fornaroli was overjoyed. He said:
“Italian driver. Italian team. Italian track. It can’t be better, especially at a track that’s close to my house. I was coming here when I was six, seven, to watch GP3 races of my father.
“Not to take the championship here, obviously in front of my home crowd, it’s an amazing feeling. I don’t have any words to describe it. It’s super.”
The Trident driver admitted to media that he’s “never been in this position of winning such an important championship” before. His previous championship win was in 2016 in his karting days.
Fornaroli said he couldn’t quite believe that he won the championship, but he knew it possible because “the pace was very strong this weekend”. He of course, took pole position on Friday, scored some good points yesterday, and then won the championship today.
The moment @LeonardoForna knew he was the 2024 FIA Formula 3 champion! ?#F3 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/zkXGQsA1k7
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) September 1, 2024
However, the Italian driver did admit that it wasn’t “perfect” and he isn’t “fully happy with [his] performances.” He said that once the “adrenaline has gone down”, he realised the result wasn’t perfect and said he “will look at it all later to try to improve for the future.”
Something that Fornaroli struggled with was tyre wear. He told media, including FormulaNerds, that “in the end, [he] suffered a lot with degradation”, which resulted in him losing a couple of positions. But he was able to retake those positions and get ahead of Mansell to outscore Mini.
Consistency is key
One thing to note is that Fornaroli won the F3 championship without having won a race. He spoke about this in the press conference where he said:
“I’m the only driver in the front that hasn’t a win, so as you said, this demonstrates I’m more consistent than the others, so even if Luke, Arvid or Gabi has more wins than me, I manage to be more consistent than them, especially in the last three rounds and finish in front of them.”
Whilst Fornaroli hasn’t won any races, he has taken two pole positions and scored seven podiums this season. He also only failed to score points in two sprint races this season.
His consistency lent a hand to his championship fight, but so did Trident. He confirmed to media that Trident worked with him on race pace compared to last year and that they have “definitely” taken a step forward.
Fornaroli thanked the team in a wider capacity as well for their support throughout his career in F3. He said they were “like a second family” and that he “can’t thank them enough”.
But after winning the F3 championship, Fornaroli will now move forward in his career. He stated that what he has in store will be announced soon
Headline image: X @Formula3