Formula 2 News: Martins wins in Lusail as Fornaroli seals 2025 title

Victor Martins (pictured) delivered a masterclass in composure to claim victory in the FIA Formula 2 Lusail Feature Race, but the spotlight belonged to Leonardo Fornaroli. The Invicta Racing ace’s runner-up finish sealed his maiden 2025 Drivers’ Championship, capping a dominant season with a 41-point cushion and etching his name into the series’ storied history.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Martins, piloting the ART Grand Prix entry, wasted no time asserting dominance. From pole position, he lunged into the lead at Turn 1, edging out Fornaroli’s Invicta machine in a heartbeat. Behind them, a frantic scrap unfolded: Alexander Dunne (Rodin Motorsport) sliced from fourth to third by snatching a bold move on Oliver Goethe at Turn 3, then hounded Roman Stanek for the final podium spot. A brief excursion over the curbs cost Dunne momentum, but the Irish rookie held firm against the charging pack of Goethe and Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing).

Martins made a great start to take the lead from Fornaroli into Turn 1

As the 32-lap dash unfolded under the Lusail floodlights, Martins methodically stretched his advantage. By Lap 3, he had carved out a 1.7-second buffer, his ART car dialed in perfectly despite Fornaroli’s early radio gripes about degrading soft tires. Sebastián Montoya (Prema Racing) added intrigue with a slick DRS-assisted pass on Tsolov for sixth, while Dunne dispatched Stanek at Turn 1 on Lap 5 to claim third.

The pit window cracked open at the end of Lap 6, triggering a frenzy of stops. Fornaroli, Dunne, Montoya, Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport), and Joshua Duerksen (AIX Racing) dove in first, swapping slicks for harder compounds. Martins held serve a lap later alongside Goethe and Stanek, emerging with a sluggish stop but unscathed at the front. Dino Beganovic (Hitech GP) inherited the lead on the alternate strategy, pulling 7.1 seconds clear of Arvid Lindblad (Campos Racing) by Lap 10.

Fornaroli and Dunne reeled in Martins relentlessly, closing to within 1.4 seconds by Lap 11, their fresh rubber biting into the Qatari asphalt. Verschoor methodically climbed, overtaking Rafael Villagómez and then Stanek for seventh. Drama peaked on Lap 15 when Goethe’s MP Motorsport car ground to a halt on track, summoning the Safety Car. Chaos ensued in the pits: Dunne and Tsolov copped five-second penalties for unsafe releases, shuffling the order.

Under restart on Lap 17, Beganovic fended off Luke Browning (Hitech GP), leading by 1.7 seconds a lap later. Lindblad, Kush Maini, and Cian Shields opted for fresh softs with 16 laps remaining, gambling on a late charge. Martins, mired in fifth post-pit, scrapped wheel-to-wheel with Laurens van Hoepen (Trident) before breaking free. Fornaroli loomed just 1.1 seconds astern by Lap 22, his DRS activations turning the pursuit into a nail-biter.

The option-tire runners faded as expected by Lap 25, with Dunne snatching seventh from a fading Lindblad at Turn 1. Beganovic’s bold switch to softs on Lap 27 dropped him to 12th, while Browning and John Bennett pitted two laps later, handing the lead duo a clear runway. Martins, ever the strategist, held Fornaroli at bay through the closing stages, crossing the line 1.265 seconds ahead. Dunne rounded out the podium in third, 7.439 seconds back, after building a decisive gap over Lindblad.

Beganovic’s earlier stint netted him the fastest lap honors at 1:38.516, but it couldn’t salvage a top-10 finish. Retirements blighted Goethe and Ritomo Miyata (ART Grand Prix), underscoring the race’s attrition.

Title Triumph and Final Showdown

Fornaroli’s podium propelled him to 211 points, an unassailable lead over Jak Crawford and Verschoor (both on 170). Browning sits fourth on 162, with Dunne’s breakout podium lifting him to fifth at 149. In the Teams’ Championship, Invicta Racing commands with 296 points, but Hitech GP (261), Campos Racing (239), DAMS Lucas Oil (196), and MP Motorsport (193) remain in the fray for the crown.

Martins, beaming in parc fermé, reflected on a hard-fought redemption: “I’m feeling great, I’m super proud. Yesterday wasn’t ideal—we had work to do—but I was super confident we’d have the car today. It’s been a long time waiting for this win, but we’ve done good analysis through the break and weekend. We really understand the car now, and we showed we had everything under control. It’s not done yet—Abu Dhabi’s the goal: strong quali, then fight for another Feature win.”

Fornaroli, meanwhile, savors a breakthrough season that catapults him toward Formula 1 aspirations. The 2025 finale awaits at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, where the teams’ battle—and lingering individual glories—will decide the full story. In a series famed for forging stars, Lusail reminded us: Championships aren’t just won; they’re seized in the slipstream.

Qatar Feature Race Results – 32 Laps