Fornaroli WINS f3 title with last lap overtake

The Formula 3 championship battle came down to the wire this year, with the championship being decided at the last corner, of the last lap, of the very last race.

Finlay McSporran
Published: 19:52, 1st September 2024

Alpine junior Gabrielle Mini had to settle for second in the championship and on the road, as Sami Meguetounif took his second feature race win of the season during at dramatic race at Monza.

Race Report

Starting on pole, Fornaroli held off Alex Dunne as the rounded turn 1, with championship rival Mini right behind in third. With nothing to loose, Dunne sent one down the inside at Parabolica, taking the lead as they started lap 2, with the only good news for Fornaroli being that his teammate Sami Meguetounif had passed Mini for 3rd.

The safety car was required just one lap later as an incident at the Ascari chicane left multiple drivers stranded in the gravel. One of those drivers was Luke Browning, who had a chance of taking the title today however he threw it away as he lost control of the car, which forced many drivers to take avoiding action, including Sophia Floersch Cian Shields and Matías Zagazeta, who made contact amid the confusion.

Racing resumed on lap 7 with Dunne maintaining the lead from Fornaroli and Meguetounif whilst Mini lost another position, this time to Christian Mansell.

A wide moment for Fornaroli at Ascari saw him drop down to 5th behind Mini, a big mistake for the Italian as it meant that Mini now had enough points to take the championship if the race finished in that order.

This wouldn’t last long however, as Mini dipped a wheel in the gravel just one lap later, which left him vulnerable to Fornaroli who passed his rival at Ascari as the championship swung back in his favour. Meanwhile, up ahead Meguetounif had passed Dunne to take the lead of the race as they stared lap 10.

Dunne was soon down to third as Mansell made his way up to second place. Things only went from bad to worse for the Irish driver as he was passed by Fornaroli just a few laps later as Mini followed him through the next lap, dropping him down to 5th.

Lap 18 and Fornaroli was on the move again, passing Mansell for second which put a car between himself and rival Mini. Determined to keep up his rival however, Mini also got passed Mansell on the same lap and was now behind the championship leader once again.

2 laps to go and Meguetounif was cruising out in front which left Fornaroli vulnerable to Mini who was in DRS range and made the move into turn 1, with the championship leader now coming under pressure from Mansell who got passed him into the Roggia chicane, dropping him down to 4th which swung the title battle back in favour of Mini as they started the last lap.

Desperate to get by, Fornaroli had a look up the inside of Mansell into the Roggia chicane, however couldn’t find a way past the ART. As they approached the end of the lap a huge send from Fornaroli into the Parabolica saw him get passed Mansell for 3rd.

It was an all or nothing move that proved to be crucial for the Italian who at the last corner, on the last lap, of the last race of the season, made the move that gave him enough points to become the 2024 Formula 3 champion!

Debrief

After a dramatic finale to the season, Leonardo Fornaroli becomes the first Italian to win the F3 drivers championship and he did it in a rather peculiar way. Despite taking two pole positions and 7 podiums, he never actually won a race all season, making him the first driver in F3 and maybe even single-seater racing history to win a title without taking a single win all season, which goes to show how consistent he’s been, finishing in the points a ridiculous 18 times in 20 races!

And that brings to an end what has been another incredible season of Formula 3. With 12 different race winners, 10 circuits visited and a new champion crowned in Leonardo Fornaroli, there was plenty of action throughout as we got to see the next generation of young drivers showcase their skills as potential F1 drivers in the making.