IndyCar star Colton Herta has failed to rule out a potential move to Formula 2 in order to secure a Formula 1 drive in the future.

The American, who drives for the Andretti Global squad, has been the subject of longstanding rumours about a possible switch to F1, which began in 2021.

Amid Andretti’s interest in purchasing Sauber, Herta’s name was banded around, and was said to have had a seat fitting, but the sale fell through.

The 25-year-old was then handed a TPC test car Portimao with McLaren, which encompassed speculation about a move to Racing Bulls, then AlphaTauri.

But the FIA was said not to be prepared to make an exception of Herta, as he did not possess the sufficient Super Licence points to gain entry.

Herta would have been able to have achieved that this year should he have been able to have completed a top four finish in the IndyCar standings.

But with one round to go and in sixth place, he is now mathematically unable to reach the required 40 licence points needed to be deemed qualified for F1.

This has now led to speculation that he may be willing to take a seat in F2, which would potentially create an easier passage to F1 should he desire it.

Ahead of the Snap-On 250 at the Milwaukee Mile, Herta said that it was purely speculation, intimating he knew nothing more than anyone else at this moment.

“I’ve heard those rumours, too,” Herta told the IndyStar. “That’s all it is right now, is rumours.”

Herta admits an IndyCar to F1 switch would be something ‘to think about’

Such is the length of time he has been linked with a move to F1, Herta acknowledged that he is not trying to force one, but said earlier in the year that he would “think about it” if an opportunity arose.

“I’ve been dragged around in these talks for, like, half a decade now,” he said.

“I’ve had the carrot in front of me for a while, and I’m kind of tired of that being the case, and I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning the championship, and if something arises out of that, I’d still have to think about it.”

Herta recognised the personal commitments it would require for him to make such a jump, including an upheaval of his life from the States to Europe.

“All my friends and family are here in the US, and I don’t know anybody where I would be going, so it’s a big decision to make if I have to make that decision.”

READ MORE – The rising star who could be ‘deal of the century’ for F1 teams

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Leonardo Fornaroli is currently unattached to a Formula 1 team, but signing him could be “the deal of the century”, according to his Formula 2 boss.

The Italian is currently leading the F2 standings with Invicta after seven podiums, including Sprint victories at Silverstone and Spa, and a Feature win in Hungary.

Fornaroli has settled superbly into the premier feeder series, having won the Formula 3 title in dramatic fashion last year against fellow graduate Gabriele Mini.

His career trajectory matches that of current F1 rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who won the F3 title before going straight into a victorious F2 season, also with Invicta.

Its Team Principal, James Robinson, could not speak highly enough of the 20-year-old, telling Autosport: “Leo has been phenomenal to work with; across the team, we would echo that.

“Obviously, for the second year in a row, we’ve taken the F3 champion into the team. And naturally, your expectations are high.

“Having worked with Gabi last year, who is showing his skill level in F1 now, the expectations were probably unreasonably high for Leo.

“We spent a lot of time trying to counterbalance that for his own sake.

“Actually, we found that – and I don’t want to make too many comparisons to Gabi – his development has been as strong, if not stronger.”

Robinson gave an insight into the level Fornaroli is at, citing his Spa and Hungary successes as examples of the sort of talent he possesses.

“The unique thing about Leo is his ability to execute, and in an unflappable way without mistake,” he highlighted.

“In the Spa Sprint Race, we had [Victor] Martins who had just passed [Amaury] Cordeel just before the Safety Car [which the contact with Cordeel produced] and he was putting in some really quick laps.

“We all said on the pit wall during the Safety Car that this is going to be a really tough race to win.

“But Leo just got his head down and just consistently put in lap after lap after lap; by the time the race had ended, he had a four- or five-second lead and he won the race quite comfortably. And he did exactly the same in the Hungary Feature Race.”

Invicta ‘astounded’ Fornaroli is yet to be snapped up by F1 team

Such is Robinson’s high regard for Fornaroli, that he is amazed no F1 team, such as Bortoleto – previously with McLaren – has found a place in its academy for him.

“I’m astounded at this stage, being candid, and that I cannot understand why Leo is not with an F1 team right now,” he expressed.

“He wouldn’t say this, because again, he’s only focused on his next race, so I see it very much as part of my role to say what a lot of people in our team are thinking.

“And it’s absolutely mind-blowing that he hasn’t been announced for an F1 role for next year already, given that most of the other drivers in the top seven or eight positions in the championship are part of F1 team academies.

“I think Leo is a bit of a Moneyball-type pick. He doesn’t do the big banzai moves that some drivers do.

“He doesn’t do silly dances on the podium. He’s not very outspoken in the media.

“But having worked in Formula 1 for 20 years, knowing what F1 teams look for in drivers, Leo is an exceptional guy in terms of developing a car.”

Robinson believes this sort of maturity that Fornaroli is conveying is just the sort of thing an F1 team should be looking for.

“I think if you did take a sort of more Moneyball-style approach, Leo would be the most obvious pick for anybody,” he explained.

“If you’re looking to develop a car, you need a driver that can deliver consistency, lap after lap after lap, they can give you that stable data point.

“Leo does that better than anybody in F2 right now. I think he would be the deal of the century for an F1 team at this stage.”

READ MORE – Leonardo Fornaroli heads Invicta 1-2 in Hungary with Feature Race victory

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Leonardo Fornaroli reinforced his grip on the 2025 Formula 2 championship with a commanding Feature Race victory at the Hungaroring, leading an Invicta Racing 1-2 finish.

Despite a time penalty for speeding in the pitlane, the Italian showcased flawless pace and excited a perfect undercut strategy to pull away from his rivals and extend his lead in the standings.

His team-mate Roman Stanek crossed the line in second to complete Invicta’s dominance this weekend and Jak Crawford took yet another podium finish in third.

Stanek’s front-row lockout alongside championship leader Fornaroli set the tone for the team’s dominant performance throughout the Feature Race.

Crawford lined up just behind them in third, while Richard Verschoor faced a tougher challenge starting from 11th on the grid.

Alex Dunne started the race from ninth and Luke Browning went from fourth on the grid.

Invicta pair take control on a drying track

The Hungaroring had dried slightly from the earlier Formula 3 Feature Race as the grid opted for slick tyres on a greasy track ahead of the race start.

Race control opted to begin the formation lap behind the Safety Car, with a rolling start as Stanek led the field out of Turn 13.

Up front, the order remained largely unchanged as overtaking proved difficult — only the racing line had dried, while damp patches lingered on the side of the track.

DRS was enabled on Lap 2, with Victor Martins leading the alternate strategy runners in seventh, closely followed by Arvid Lindblad on the same tyre compound in eighth. Pepe Marti and Verschoor also committed to go long.

Meanwhile, Martins made a mistake in the middle sector and dropped back to 12th.

On Lap 4, Browning and Crawford went wheel-to-wheel for third. The British driver pulled ahead out of Turn 1 but ran wide at Turn 2, allowing the DAMS Lucas Oil driver to reclaim the position.

Meanwhile, the Invicta pair had already broken away, opening up a gap to the rest of the chasing pack. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 6 after smoke began pouring from the rear of Amaury Cordeel’s Rodin Motorsport car.

It ended on Lap 7 and Lindblad made up two places at the restart, passing Goethe, who went deep into Turn 1, and Joshua Durksen at the next corner after he ran wide.

On Lap 10, Martins began to slow down as his ART car eventually gave way on the exit of Turn 12 in the middle of the race track.

The VSC was deployed as drivers slowed near the pit lane entry, anticipating a possible switch to a full Safety Car.

Fornaroli jumps Stanek with bold undercut but receives time penalty

It never came as the race marshals wheeled away the stricken car before the VSC ended on the next lap.

At the restart, Goethe launched an attack on Lindblad into Turn 13 but ran wide, opening the door for Durksen and Dunne to slip through.

Amid the chaos, the Irishman overtook the AIX Racing driver to snatch sixth place. Gabrielle Mini moved up to ninth ahead of Verschoor as Marti dropped out of the points.

The Spaniard fought his way back up to ninth with a brilliant sequence of moves through Turns 1 and 2, as Browning and Durksen became the first drivers inside the top 10 to dive into the pits for Medium tyres.

Goethe and Mini also came in as the race leader boxed on the next lap alongside Crawford as Fornaroli continued for another lap.

The championship leader pitted on Lap 17 and made huge gains with the undercut, emerging in front of his team-mate and taking the effective race lead.

Dunne pitted on the same lap and lost two positions to Durksen and Goethe with cold tyres.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Fornaroli, as he was handed a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane — putting his lead under immediate threat. Stanek and Crawford were close behind, ready to pounce.

Goethe overtook Durksen on Lap 22, just as his MP Motorsport team-mate RVerschoor became the first of the alternate strategy runners to pit.

The Dutchman rejoined ahead of both drivers, gaining track position by extending his stint. Lindblad followed suit with a stop on the next lap.

He came back out just behind Browning, equipped with fresh tyres and poised to launch an attack on the leaders. Verschoor, meanwhile, had fallen behind his team-mate, struggling for grip on cold rubber.

Invicta secures 1-2 finish as Fornaroli extends championship lead

Marti came in on the next lap as his Campos team-mate dropped behind both MP Motorsport drivers, also struggling with getting heat into the Soft tyres.

Lindblad retook the position off Goethe on Lap 28 through the middle sector as Dino Beganovic rejoined ahead of Durksen and Marti.

At the same time, Crawford sent it on Stanek at Turn 1 but locked up to allow the Czech driver back ahead. Meanwhile, Fornaroli escaped down the road with his team-mate fighting for second.

By the following lap, he had opened up a five-second gap — just enough to retain the lead despite his time penalty. Meanwhile, Beganovic overtook Dunne into the final corner, setting his sights on Goethe next.

The Hitech driver made the pass on Lap 30 as the Soft tyre runners started to close in on Browning in fourth.

By Lap 33, Beganovic had reeled in Lindblad as Fornaroli had taken his advantage over Stanek to seven seconds and within reach of the race victory.

Ritomo Miyata, who had yet to pit from the alternate strategy, finally came in on the penultimate lap.

Fornaroli kept his distance from his team-mate and crossed the line more than five seconds ahead of Stanek for his third win of the season.

Stanek crossed the line for a 1-2 finish in what was a dominant weekend for Invicta as Crawford made it back-to-back podiums for the weekend in Budapest.

Browning finished fourth and Verschoor in fifth ahead of Lindblad, Beganovic, Goethe, Dunne and Marti rounding out the top 10 for the Feature Race.

READ MORE – Pepe Marti fends off late pressure from Alex Dunne to claim Hungary F2 Sprint win

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Pepe Marti secured a hard-fought victory in the Formula 2 Sprint Race at the Hungaroring, narrowly keeping Alex Dunne at bay in a tense final lap battle.

After a largely tactical race focused on tyre management and a late Safety Car intervention, Marti’s resilient defence secured him the victory.

Dunne finished second behind the Campos Racing driver, while Jak Crawford claimed third, picking up vital points for his championship challenge.

Marti began the race from pole, with Dunne alongside him on the front row. Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli started from ninth, closely followed by his nearest rival Crawford in eighth.

Marti repels early challenges to establish race lead

At the start, Arvid Lindblad got a good launch, but Marti covered him off with Dunne following close behind.

Into Turn 6, Victor Martins had a good look at the Irishman, but the Rodin covered him off. Further back, contact between Roman Stanek and Gabrielle Mini saw the former spin off, but was able to rejoin, albeit in last.

The Czech’s Invicta was quickly on a mission, taking Ritomo Miyata and Max Esterson to move up to 20th.

Richard Verschoor moved up to eighth from 10th, capitalising on Oliver Goethe and Fornaroli jostling for the position ahead.

By Lap 4, Marti opened up a lead of seven tenths as DRS was now enabled. Luke Browning was up to sixth, just behind Crawford, as Mini was handed a 10-second penalty for taking Stanek off.

A DRS train formed from Martins downwards, as Marti, Lindblad and Dunne started to break away, the Red Bull junior in second starting to narrow the gap to his Campos team-mate.

The Englishman set the fastest lap on Lap 6 and started to reel in Marti, with Dunne now left behind.

Lindblad bided his time and waited until Turn 1 on Lap 8 to dive down the inside of Marti, but after going a little deep into the braking zone, the Spaniard was able to switch back into Turn 3, forcing Lindblad wide and retaining the lead.

Lindblad was not hanging around, trying again to overtake into Turn 1 on Lap 10, but was not able to get close enough, with Marti telling his team over radio that the battle was “quite stupid”.

Mid-race battles intensify before Montoya brings out the Safety Car

Dunne and Martins appeared to be keeping their powder dry, maintaining a watching brief just a small gap behind the Campos pair, with Lindblad being told to conserve his tyres, potentially ending his charge for the lead for the time being.

Lindblad dropped back to just under a second behind Marti, with Dunne now just half a second behind, and into Lap 14, the McLaren junior was on Lindblad’s rear.

Further back, Browning was edging closer to Crawford, with Fornaroli and Verschoor not far behind. The American was inching closer to Martins by Lap 18, as much of the order settled into a rhythm, as cars started to conserve their rubber.

Mini chose to take his penalty in the pits and switch to new tyres, as Dunne made a big move one lap later.

Looking to be too far back to overtake Lindblad, he boldly braked late, and from around four car lengths away, divebombed him into Turn 1, a quite brilliant and brave move.

Dunne now set off in pursuit of Marti, as Lindblad fell into the clutches of Martins, the Frenchman looking to take him into Turn 1 on Lap 20.

He kept trying into Turns 2 and 3, and in doing so, Crawford took his chance and stole fourth, and began pressing Lindblad himself, his tyres now seemingly shot after his early attempts on Marti.

Crawford tried to take third around the outside of Lindblad into Turn 1, but the teenager still resisted, as Martins, Browning, Fornaroli and all other comers behind now close in proximity.

As racing began to hot up with six laps to go, the Safety Car was deployed as Sebastian Montoya’s PREMA parked up on the side of the start-finish straight with a technical gremlin.

Marti denies Dunne in last-lap battle to win the Sprint

The deployment saw teams prepare for drivers to come in for fresh tyres in a bid for a late sprint to the finish, but the pit lane was closed to prevent such manoeuvres.

Entering Lap 26, the Safety Car returned to the pits as Marti continued to lead from Dunne as Browning got a good run out of the last corner and made the move stick on Martins for fifth at Turn 2.

The race leaders scampered off down the road once again as Crawford tried to take third off Lindblad once again.

On the penultimate lap, he was almost pushing Lindblad down the main straight, but the Red Bull junior still denied the American.

Fornaroli, meanwhile, locked up massively into Turn 1 but managed to remain in seventh place.

Dunne stayed within DRS range of Marti heading onto the final lap but was not close enough to make a move into Turn 1.

Finally, Crawford took the position heading into the first corner and made it stick.

Back to the front, Dunne and Marti went side by side through the final sector in a thrilling end to the Sprint.

The Spaniard got his elbows out as the Rodin driver found himself shoved off the track at the pitlane entry.

Dunne fumes as stewards given plenty to review post-race

Marti crossed the line just two tenths ahead of Dunne after the battle at Turn 13 to take his third win of the season.

However, the stewards flagged him for erratic driving behind the Safety Car after Dunne was forced to take evasive action when the Campos driver braked sharply on the main straight.

With numerous incidents throughout the race, race control faced a busy post-race review, potentially including the final-lap clash between Marti and Dunne.

As the provisional results were confirmed, Dunne settled for second place, earning valuable points in the title battle.

However, visibly frustrated, he quickly left his car and headed to what would certainly be an awkward cool-down room and podium celebration.

Crawford finished third, also taking vital points towards his tally and fight for the championship.

Lindblad limped home in fourth with his degrading tyres, Browning finished fourth, Martins fifth, followed by Fornaroli and Verschoor completing the top eight for the Sprint.

After the race, the stewards decided not to look at the last lap incident between Dunne and Marti, but decided to summon each driver to the stewards for separate infringements.

Neither driver was punished, but further down the order, Lindblad received a five-second time penalty for going off track at Turn 3 and gained a lasting advantage over Martins.

This dropped him from fourth to 10th because Browning received the same punishment for a similar incident with the same driver at Turns 6 and 7.

He dropped below the Campos driver to 12th from fifth as everyone else inside the top eight moved up one place.

READ MORE – Roman Stanek clinches maiden F2 pole position for Hungarian Feature Race

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Roman Stanek secured his maiden Formula 2 pole position at the Hungaroring, delivering a commanding performance in a fiercely contested qualifying session.

The Invicta Racing driver narrowly edged out his rivals to claim pole for Sunday’s Feature Race, continuing his strong form in the junior category.

He will be joined on the front row by his team-mate and championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli, setting up a dominant 1-2 for Invicta Racing.

Jak Crawford secured third for DAMS Lucas Oil, positioning himself well to fight for crucial points in the title race.

Luke Browning was fastest in the earlier Free Practice session for Hitech, setting a lap time of 1:30.609s to clear the rest of the field at the top. Completing the top three were Oliver Goethe and Alexander Dunne.

As Round 10 of the 2025 F2 season approaches, Fornaroli heads a fiercely contested championship battle among several talented and determined young drivers.

Several drivers were handed warnings for impeding during practice heading into qualifying.

Stanek sets early pace in qualifying at Hungaroring

Arvid Lindblad got off to a strong start in qualifying, briefly topping the timesheets before slipping down as others improved.

Spa Feature Race winner Stanek maintained his momentum by claiming provisional pole early for Invicta with a 1:29.167s.

Goethe carried his practice form into qualifying, jumping up to second place, just 0.141s behind the Czech driver and narrowly ahead of his MP Motorsport team-mate Richard Verschoor in third.

Victor Martins and Browning completed the top five in the early part of the session, while Dunne sat seventh and Crawford struggled further back in 15th.

Meanwhile, Fornaroli hadn’t set a lap time during the opening minutes of the qualifying session, remaining in the pits.

On his first flying lap, he posted the fastest time, but it was deleted for exceeding track limits, dropping him back to last place with half of the session already gone.

Undeterred, the Italian cooled his tyres and went again, clocking a strong lap to jump up to fourth.

After a brief pause and change of tyres, the field returned to the track for the final 10 minutes of the session.

Stanek improved on his benchmark time, setting a 1:28.779s to strengthen his grip on provisional pole.

Goethe initially slotted into second before being displaced by Browning, with Joshua Durksen climbing to third for AIX Racing.

From 19th place, Crawford delivered a standout lap to leap up to second, just 0.173s off Stanek – a crucial effort in the context of his title fight.

Fornaroli completes Invicta front-row lockout with late effort

In the final minutes, Sebastian Montoya briefly surged into fourth but saw his lap time deleted for track limits.

Campos’ Pepe Martí climbed to ninth, while team-mate Lindblad slotted into seventh, with Martins ahead in sixth.

Dunne was unable to improve on his final run, staying eighth, while Verschoor held onto 10th — until the final twist.

With the rest of the top 10 already back in the pits, Fornaroli launched a final push, chasing pole in the dying seconds.

While he couldn’t dethrone his Invicta team-mate, the Italian delivered when it mattered, securing a front-row start just 0.146s behind Stanek.

His late flyer knocked Verschoor out of the top 10 — a damaging blow to the Dutchman’s hopes this weekend.

At the front, Stanek celebrated his first-ever pole in F2, securing a dominant front-row lockout for Invicta Racing.

Crawford completed the top three, with Browning set to join him on the second row on Sunday.

Durksen secured fifth place, ahead of Goethe, Martins, Lindblad, and Dunne, while Marti rounded out the top 10 — earning reverse-grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race.

READ MORE – Roman Stanek inherits F2 Spa Feature Race win after Alex Dunne penalised and Arvid Lindblad disqualified

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Aston Martin junior driver and Formula 2 title contender Jak Crawford is in talks with Cadillac about one of its two seats for its maiden Formula 1 season next year.

The American is in his second year with the Silverstone-based squad, having joined in early 2024 after being released by Red Bull’s junior programme after four years.

Crawford is currently in the thick of the action in F2, sitting third in the Drivers’ standings for DAMS Lucas Oil, just nine points off the lead, having taken three wins so far this year.

It is the 20-year-old’s third year in the premier feeder series, and is aware that taking the title would be a huge chance for him to secure a coveted seat in F1.

“It depends a lot on what I do in Formula 2 this year,” he told Motorsport.com. “If I can win the championship, it would be great for my career.

” It could lead to many opportunities, whether [that’s] with a seat on the grid or potentially again reserve driver next year in Formula 1. 

“We’re trying to find any space on the grid, whether it’s with Cadillac or Aston Martin or some other teams.”

Could Crawford hold the passport for Cadillac vacancy?

The competition for the coveted two seats at Cadillac are said to be strong, with veterans such as Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez hotly tipped to take one of them.

But a number of young drivers have also been considered, with Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu also touted.

However, Crawford may hold an edge given his nationality, as the team would no doubt favour an American driver if the opportunity was right.

Crawford confirmed there were talks, but things were in early stages.

“There have been talks, I’ve been talking, but it’s very slow at the moment,” he said. “From my side, I just need to do a good job in Formula 2.” 

“There’s nothing I can do to compete. Actually, the only thing I can do is do well in F2. Other than that, I can’t really do anything else.” 

READ MORE – Audi unveils major title sponsor ahead of maiden F1 season

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Roman Stanek has been handed the victory in the Formula 2 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps after Alex Dunne received a post-race time penalty and Arvid Lindblad was disqualified following technical checks.

The decisions made by the stewards reshuffled the order following an intense battle under tricky wet-weather conditions.

Dunne led from start to finish but came under investigation by the stewards for allegedly failing to engage the start set-up procedure at the beginning of the formation lap.

He was deemed guilty of the infringement and handed a 10-second time penalty, bumping him down the order to 10th.

A document released by the FIA stated: “According to the Report of the Technical Delegate, the data from Car 17 shows that the driver did not engage the start set-up procedure for the formation lap as required by the F2 2025 System User Manual.

“The team manager stated that the race director had announced that the formation laps will be behind the Safety Car and the start of the Race will be rolling start.

“Based on this information, they had decided not to activate the set-up procedure. The driver said that he had asked the team for confirmation, and team told him not to engage the
start set-up procedure.

“Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that Car 17 was in breach of Article 1.6.1 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations and Article 11.15 of the F2 2025 System User Manual, and impose a 10 second time penalty in accordance with the 2025 FIA F2 penalty guidelines.”

Lindblad disqualified over technical breach as Fornaroli claims F2 championship lead

Lindblad would have taken the Feature Race victory, but he was punished for having too low tyre pressures in all four tyres.

A document stated: “The Team accepted the FIA Technical Delegate’s measurements and acknowledged that it followed that Article 10.4.3 of the Technical Regulations had been breached in this case.

“The Team Representative also stated that he was present during the tyre checking and had no objections with the measurements. Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that Car 4 was found to be technically non-conformant with the F2 Technical Regulations, and, consistent with the established precedent, disqualify Car 4 from Race 2.”

Stanek claimed the second victory of his F2 career, while Ritomo Miyata secured his maiden podium in the series with an impressive drive to second place.

Luke Browning completed the podium amid the post-race chaos, rewarded for a strong charge through the field.

The Hitech driver started 12th on the grid and secured his sixth podium of the season, further boosting his championship hopes.

The final classification saw several drivers promoted due to the penalties, including Leonardo Fornaroli, who moved up to fifth.

That result was enough to hand the Italian the championship lead by just three points over Richard Verschoor.

READ MORE — Alex Dunne conquers rain-soaked Spa to claim F2 Feature Race victory and take championship lead

The post Roman Stanek inherits F2 Spa Feature Race win after Alex Dunne penalised and Arvid Lindblad disqualified appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alex Dunne showcased his skill and composure in challenging wet conditions to claim a hard-fought victory in the Formula 2 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps.

Navigating heavy rain and slippery track conditions, Dunne not only secured his third win of the season but also took over the lead in the Drivers’ Standings, edging ahead of his closest rivals as the title battle intensifies.

Arvid Lindblad came home in second from fifth on the grid, improving his position in the championship, and Roman Stanek completed the podium at Spa.

The McLaren development driver started the race from pole position, with Ritomo Miyata lining up alongside him on the front row.

Championship leader — and one of Dunne’s main title rivals — Richard Verschoor began the race down in 11th, just outside the top 10, while Jak Crawford started even further back in 14th.

Verschoor held a six-point lead over Crawford in the Drivers’ Standings before the Feature, with Dunne a further six points adrift.

Following his Sprint Race victory on Saturday, Leonardo Fornaroli leapfrogged the Rodin Motorsport driver in the standings, moving up to third — just seven points behind Verschoor.

Dunne leads the charge amid heavy rainfall

Race control announced that the formation lap would take place behind the Safety Car, due to wet-weather conditions similar to those that led to the earlier cancellation of the Formula 3 Feature Race.

With all 30 drivers on wet-weather tyres, the race got underway, but visibility was poor due to the heavy spray — particularly as the field charged onto the Kemmel Straight for the first time.

After two extra formation laps, race control determined that it would be a rolling start once it was deemed safe enough to go racing.

Dunne prepared to lead the field as he floored it out of Blanchimont, running slightly wide into the Bus Stop Chicane but managing to retain the lead.

Behind him, Stanek snatched second place from Miyata into Turn 1. However, a big snap of oversteer going up Eau Rouge unsettled the Invicta Racing driver, allowing the ART man to reclaim the position by the end of the Kemmel Straight.

By the end of Lap 1, Dunne had pulled out a lead of nearly two seconds. Behind him, Fornaroli moved up to sixth after passing Pepe Marti, while Amaury Cordeel slipped three places from his starting position of ninth.

That shuffle allowed MP Motorsport team-mates Oliver Goethe and Verschoor to gain ground and move further into the top 10.

The rain started to intensify once again on Lap 2 as the spray began to worsen amid the heavy rainfall.

Fornaroli had a moment at Radillion, which allowed Marti to get past on the Kemmel Straight and retake the position.

Victor Martins, running in fourth, was closely pursuing Stanek as he looked to secure another podium finish at Spa.

Verschoor drops out of the points amid wet-weather struggles

Meanwhile, Verschoor lost 10th place to Luke Browning on Lap 4, slipping out of the points in the increasingly treacherous conditions.

The gap between race leader Dunne and Miyata dropped back down to just over a second as the Dutchman lost yet another place to Dino Beganovic.

By Lap 6, Gabrielle Mini got a good run onto the Kemmel Straight and passed Fornaroli for seventh on the track.

Beganovic eventually passed Goethe for 10th place as the Hitech duo continued to storm through the midfield.

Out front, Dunne’s lead shrank to seven-tenths on Lap 7, while several drivers at the back of the field opted to make their mandatory pit stops for a second set of wet tyres.

Among them were Sami Meguetounif, Kush Maini, and Sebastian Montoya.

Stanek joined the fight to make it a three-way battle for the race lead as Browning passed Fornaroli for eighth place on track.

Lindblad closed in on Martins for fourth place and the Frenchman received two five-second time penalties for track limits — multiple drivers receiving black and white flags for violations.

Beganovic passed Fornaroli for ninth place on Lap 10 as the Italian got a bad exit out of Les Combs. The Hitech driver dived into the pits shortly after, along with Mini, Fornaroli and Verschoor.

Dunne holds firm at the front amidst the pit stop shuffle

During the pit stops, Mini lost a few positions as Stanek, Martins, and Marti followed into the pit lane shortly after.

Martins served his 10-second penalty, dropping further down the order, while Beganovic overtook Marti through Turns 10 and 11.

With heavy rain returning, the race leaders responded by diving into the pits. Browning, however, spun while rejoining the track on his fresh set of wet tyres.

Dunne re-emerged ahead of Stanek and came under immediate pressure but managed to hold his position, with Miyata now slotting in behind the leading duo.

Lindblad, Marti, and Beganovic followed in close pursuit, as the rest of the field switched to fresh wets — everyone except Goethe, who delayed his stop until the end of Lap 14.

However, Dunne was kept waiting until Pouhon before finally making his move to take the lead on track.

Meanwhile, Miyata overtook a struggling Stanek at the Bus Stop Chicane, with Lindblad following suit. Browning recovered to sixth after his spin and was closing in on Marti in fifth.

On the exit of Pouhon, Miyata spun off the track and dropped back down to fourth, promoting Stanek back onto the podium.

Dunne held a four-second lead over Lindblad as Fornaroli bravely overtook Beganovic for seventh place on Lap 17.

At the same time, Browning and Marti went wheel-to-wheel as the British driver completed the move into the final corner.

Montoya spin brings out the Safety Car

The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 18 as Montoya spun coming up Eau Rouge and stalled the car out of Radillion.

Yet by reaching that distance, full points were a guarantee for the drivers, Dunne hoping for no restart to clinch a pivotal win for his title bid.

Verschoor dived into the pits for another stop with a last throw of the dice for MP Motorsport to salvage some points.

Several rearguard drivers adopted the same strategy as the track started to dry through the middle sector, while persistent wet patches in the first and final sectors posed a tricky challenge for the drivers to manage.

On Lap 21, under Safety Car conditions, the marshals had another car to recover as Goethe’s MP Motorsport car started adding to the spray with smoke pouring out the back.

He came to a stop on the Kemmel Straight and was quickly handed a piece of wood to prevent the car from rolling backwards.

With another car to be retrieved, the race was red-flagged heading onto Lap 22, almost certainly not to be resumed.

The announcement came as Dunne emerged as the winner of the Spa Feature Race, a huge boost to his title aspirations.

Lindblad and Stanek rounded out the podium, with the Campos driver scoring significant points to strengthen his championship standing.

Miyata missed out on a podium finish in fourth, Browning with a superb drive to finish fifth from 12th on the grid.

Marti came home in sixth, Fornaroli seventh, Mini eighth, Beganovic ninth, and Martins rounded out the top 10 for the Feature Race at Spa.

READ MORE — Leonardo Fornaroli fuels title charge with F2 Sprint Race victory at Spa

The post Alex Dunne conquers rain-soaked Spa to claim F2 Feature Race victory and take championship lead appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Leonardo Fornaroli kept his Formula 2 title hopes alive with a commanding drive to victory in the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, seizing the lead at Turn 1 and holding firm through early chaos and Safety Car interruptions.

Fornaroli dominated from the front, displaying both composure and speed to hold off pressure from Amaury Cordeel and the looming threat of drivers on Soft tyres late in the Sprint.

Behind the Invicta Racing driver, Victor Martins and Gabriele Mini fought hard to secure a podium spot, navigating through the chaos of the opening lap and the ensuing multiple stoppages.

Oliver Goethe started from pole position for the Sprint, with Cordeel lining up alongside him on the front row.

Alex Dunne, who set the fastest time in Friday’s qualifying, started from 10th, while his title rivals Richard Verschoor and Jak Crawford both began outside the top 10.

Fornaroli seizes early lead as title rivals clash in chaotic start

With the formation lap complete, the Sprint Race got underway — and Fornaroli immediately surged into the lead from third on the grid, overtaking Cordeel and Goethe into Turn 1.

But drama quickly unfolded behind, as title rivals Verschoor and Crawford came to blows on the exit of the opening corner.

Both drivers tangled with Luke Browning’s Hitech as the trio went three-wide in a frantic start.

Crawford and Browning ran wide, the latter unable to continue due to the extensive damage to his car.

Verschoor continued briefly but spun going up Eau Rouge, the result of sidepod damage and fluid leakage sustained in the earlier contact.

The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 1, with both Verschoor and Crawford limping back to the pits — the American was able to continue with repairs, but MP Motorsport driver suffered a premature end to his Sprint hopes.

Racing resumed at the start of Lap 4, with Leonardo Fornaroli maintaining his lead ahead of Cordeel and Goethe.

Martins held fourth, followed by Pepe Marti in fifth, Arvid Lindblad in sixth, Mini seventh and Ritomo Miyata in eighth.

However, Dunne made a decisive move on Miyata at the end of the Kemmel Straight to snatch the final point-scoring position.

Further drama followed as debris flew off Martí’s Campos, with the left front wing endplate detaching from his car.

Martins and Cordeel collide in Spa Sprint Race

On Lap 6, Cordeel got close to the Invicta car but was unable to make a move for the race lead. At the same time, race control decided to note the Italian for a Safety Car infringement.

The next lap, Mini initially got past Lindblad, but into the braking zone of Les Combes, the British driver held onto sixth place.

Goethe came under pressure from Martins behind for the final spot on the podium as he lost the rear of his MP Motorsport car at Radillion.

The Frenchman made the move stick around the outside at the end of the Kemmel Straight on Lap 9.

Martins continued his charge and by Lap 11, he had got within DRS range of Cordeel for second place.

But disaster struck for the Belgian at his home track, as the pair made contact whilst Martins swooped around the outside into Les Combes.

With the contact, Cordeel locked up and came to a stop in the gravel, the Rodin Motorsport driver missing out on a first podium in F2.

The Safety Car came out, allowing the midfield to change tyres onto the Soft tyres, only Fornaroli, Martins, Goethe, Mini and Cian Shields opted not to pit for fresh tryes.

Campos doubled stacked, which caused Lindblad to have a slow stop, dropping him down the order to 11th.

Onto Lap 14, the Safety Car returned to the pits and Fornaroli continued to lead the Sprint Race.

Marti on a late charge with Soft tyres

With the slipstream, Mini stormed onto the podium ahead of Goethe whilst Marti made quick work of Shields for fifth.

By the end of the lap, the AIX Racing driver had dropped down the order and out of the points.

Replays showed that Linblad had gone deep into Turn 1 on the restart and made contact with Dino Beganovic, both drivers getting away with no damage.

Dunne moved past Roman Stanek for sixth on Lap 15, while Marti began reeling in the race leaders ahead.

The Irishman sent another lunge at Turn 1, this time on Marti, but couldn’t make the move stick, which allowed Stanek back past Dunne.

Fornaroli stretched his lead to just under two seconds on the penultimate lap, on course for his second victory of his F2 career after his maiden win at Silverstone last time out.

Another Safety Car allowed him to soak in the atmosphere whilst the marshalls cleared a stricken Trident car of Sami Meguetounif on the Kemmel Straight.

Martins secured an impressive second place from sixth on the grid and Mini took his first podium of the season to complete the top three.

Goethe settled for fourth, while Marti, on the Soft tyres, finished fifth and couldn’t mount a late podium challenge.

Similarly, Stanek came home sixth, with Dunne seventh and Miyata securing eighth — claiming the final points in the Spa Sprint Race.

READ MORE — Alex Dunne delivers masterclass to take F2 pole position in Spa qualifying

The post Leonardo Fornaroli fuels title charge with F2 Sprint Race victory at Spa appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alex Dunne produced a sensational performance at Spa-Francorchamps to secure pole position in Formula 2 qualifying, topping the timesheets with a dominant final run that left the field trailing.

The Irishman stormed to pole in Belgium with a blistering 1:57.151s fastest lap time, putting his Rodin Motorsport car at the front for the Feature Race.

Ritomo Miyata and Roman Stanek completed the top three, while Dunne’s closest title rivals were left outside the top 10.

Dunne had already signalled his intent earlier in the day by going fastest in Free Practice with a 1:59.519s.

Gabriele Mini and Victor Martins rounded out the top three ahead of qualifying.

Championship leader Richard Verschoor enters the weekend with a six-point advantage over Jak Crawford as Round 9 of the 2025 campaign gets underway.

Dunne dominates in sunny Spa qualifying

A rare sight at Spa saw all 22 drivers take to the track under clear skies and dry conditions.

With the circuit being the longest on the calendar — and drivers completing customary warm-up laps — the first representative time of the session didn’t appear until eight minutes into the session as Luke Browning went fastest.

The Hitech driver laid down the early benchmark in qualifying with a 1:58.537s.

But the times soon began to tumble — Stanek edged ahead by just 0.007s before his Invicta Racing team-mate Leonardo Fornaroli snatched provisional pole moments later.

Dunne then displaced the Italian by a mere 0.003s, with Mini and Martins slotting into the second row after the first round of flying laps.

Verschoor could only manage eighth on his initial run, while title rival Crawford sat 13th and needed a stronger lap to break into the top 10.

Most drivers failed to find significant gains on their second push laps — though Amaury Cordeel bucked the trend by climbing to seventh.

Dunne, however, delivered a standout lap, improving by a remarkable 0.421s over Fornaroli to post a 1:57.863s.

Meanwhile, Verschoor dropped to 10th and found himself in the reverse grid pole position for the Sprint.

With no improvements showing in the sector times, drivers returned to the pits for fresh tyres and a brief reset.

Dunne clinches pole as grid reshuffles in dramatic qualifying finish

As the clock ticked under 10 minutes, everyone filtered back out for their final push laps in qualifying.

Crawford, in desperate need of a stronger lap, was first to make a move — setting personal bests in all sectors to jump up to third, just three tenths off Dunne’s benchmark.

Oliver Goethe had briefly slotted into second ahead of the DAMS Lucas Oil driver, but the order quickly shuffled again as lap times tumbled.

Verschoor couldn’t better the efforts of his MP Motorsport team-mate Goethe before Miyata unexpectedly leapt onto the second row, displacing both.

Dunne, however, was in a league of his own. The Rodin driver went fastest in all three sectors to obliterate the field with a stunning 1:57.151s — a full 0.419s clear of Miyata.

Stanek climbed to third, Martins held on to fourth after an improvement, and Arvid Lindblad finally joined the fight by grabbing fifth ahead of Campos Racing team-mate Pepe Marti.

Fornaroli and Mini slipped to the fourth row, with Goethe rounding out the top 10 at the expense of his team-mate.

Several drivers — including Martins — missed the cutoff to start a final lap, and no late improvements were made as Dunne sealed an emphatic pole position.

Miyata secured a front-row start with a stunning late qualifying lap, while Stanek rounded out the top three.

Martins put in a solid performance to claim fourth, and Lindblad salvaged his session with a late effort to take fifth.

Just outside the top five, Marti finished sixth, followed by Fornaroli in seventh, Mini eighth, Cordeel ninth, and Goethe completing the top 10 — earning himself reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race.

Dunne’s championship rivals, Verschoor and Crawford, missed out on the top 10, qualifying 11th and 14th, respectively.

READ MORE — Jak Crawford takes rain-affected Silverstone F2 Feature win

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