Monza once again lived up to its reputation for high drama in 2025 F2 Italian Grand Prix, serving up a weekend full of the highest highs – and lowest lows. The Italian crowd roared as Leonardo Fornaroli delivered a home-soil Sprint Race victory, but it was Luke Browning who stole the headlines on Sunday, holding his nerve to claim a maiden Feature Race win. Read our weekend roundup to find out more about the weekend winners – and who’s left licking their wounds.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Luke Browning secured his maiden F2 victory in the Feature Race, holding his own from Pole. The result moves him up to second in the championship and marks a breakthrough weekend in his rookie campaign.
- Leonardo Fornaroli took the chequered flag in a home Sprint Race triumph, taking control early and resisting late pressure from Lindblad to secure victory at Monza.
- Richard Verschoor was stripped of his front-row start – the Dutchman initially set the second-fastest time before a crash at Lesmo 1 brought out red flags. Stewards ruled him solely responsible for the stoppage, wiping his lap time and dropping him to 14th on the grid.
- A less-than-sparkling weekend for Alex Dunne saw the Irishman not only penalised for a Sprint race incident with Kush Maini, but wiped out of the Feature race completely – a hindrance to his F2 campaign.
Free Practice – Verschoor lays down the marker
The 2025 F2 Italian Grand Prix opened under bright skies in Monza. Free Practice set the tone for what would be a highly-charged round. Richard Verschoor immediately underlined MP Motorsport’s pace, putting in a 1:32.547 to end the session fastest of all.
The session saw drivers consistently improve with tyre temperatures increasing. Kush Maini and Jak Crawford briefly held the top two places for DAMS Lucas Oil before Oliver Goethe surged ahead for MP Motorsport. Verschoor then delivered his best effort, edging teammate Goethe by 0.154s and stamping MP’s authority early.
Luke Browning looked sharp from the off, his Hitech TGR looking well-balanced on the low-downforce Monza package. The Brit slotted into P2, only a tenth off Verschoor, while Alex Dunne impressed in third for Rodin Motorsport. Victor Martins also showed speed, taking sixth for ART, just ahead of title leader Leonardo Fornaroli.
The red flags were brought out and the session ended early when AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen spun into the gravel at Ascari; an early reminder of Monza’s unforgiving kerbs and gravel traps that would shape the weekend.
Qualifying – Browning Takes Pole While Verschoor Penalised
Qualifying in Monza was, as always, a high-stakes game – and this session proved no different. After a subdued start, the field gradually built pace. Dunne set the first competitive marker before Verschoor and Goethe traded fastest laps for MP Motorsport. Kush Maini then edged ahead by just 0.082s, before Browning unleashed a stunning lap of 1:32.390 – three tenths clear of the rest of the grid.
However, the session was consistently interrupted by red flags. Gabriele Minì and Cian Shields stopped on track midway through, bringing the session to a standstill. Then Championship leader Fornaroli, hot off a good run, pulled off with a technical issue, his car stranded and his Qualifying compromised.
The final drama came at the hands of Verschoor, who spun at Lesmo 1 in the closing minutes, burying his MP car in the barriers and bringing out the third red flag. With less than two minutes to go, the session didn’t resume. Initially classified second, the stewards had Verschoor’s fate in their hands.
Later that evening, the decision was found to have sided against the Dutchman. Vesrchoor was deemed solely responsible for causing the stoppage – and under regulation, his fastest lap was deleted, relegating him from P2 to P14. The penalty promoted Maini onto the front row alongside Browning, while Stanek, Goethe, and Dunne completed the top five.
For Browning, it was a milestone moment; the Brit’s first Aramco Pole Position Award, and a step forward in his pursuit of the Championship lead.
Sprint Race – Fornaroli Wins At Home
Saturday’s Sprint Race provided the 2025 F2 Italian Grand Prix with exactly the kind of unpredictable theatre the fans flock to the Autodromo Internazionale Monza. From third on the grid, Leonardo Fornaroli made a bold move at Turn 4 to snatch the lead from early pacesetter Dino Beganovic. Once in front, the Invicta Racing driver never looked back, controlling the race even as late-race pressure from Arvid Lindblad threatened to spoil the party.
Behind them, chaos ensued; Maini’s race ended on Lap 2 after contact with Dunne forced him off at Curva Grande and into the gravel. The shunt brought out the Safety Car and later a steward’s investigation. Dunne earned a 10-second time penalty for the move that dropped him down to 13th in the final classification.
There was more trouble ahead for the Irishman when Sami Meguetounif clashed with Dunne at Turn 2. Losing control as he rejoined the track, the TRIDENT driver collided with the Rodin car, sending both wide. Stewards held Meguetounif wholly responsible, handing him a five-second penalty. As he failed to finish after the incident, he received a three-place grid drop for the next round.
Fornarolli Keeps it Cool
Fornaroli’s composure at the front stood in stark contrast to the mess behind. Lindblad claimed second, while Joshua Duerksen crossed the line fourth but inherited the final podium spot after Beganovic’s five-second penalty for a Virtual Safety Car infringement.
Further back, Richard Verschoor salvaged fourth after his Qualifying demotion, climbing an impressive ten places to reassert himself in the title fight. Luke Browning, meanwhile, nursed a flat spot and could only manage eighth, but crucially still banked a point.
The partisan Italian crowd cheered Fornaroli home – a home win, and his fourth win of the season – a result that helped continue to build his championship advantage.
Feature Race – Browning’s Maiden Win
Sunday’s Feature Race had the drivers dropping like flies, but by the chequered flag, the win belonged to Browning. From pole, the Hitech TGR driver survived multiple Safety Car restarts, heavy pressure from rivals, and even losing the lead mid-race to claim his first Formula 2 victory.
At lights out, it was frantic; Browning had a clean launch, while Kush Maini was slow off the line and tumbled down the order as the grid swallowed him up into Turn 1. Goethe swept into second, and later seized the lead when DRS was enabled. Strategy well and truly came into play on Lap 7 as the pit window opened. Goethe pitted early, but a Safety Car caused by Lindblad hitting Dunne at Ascari neutralised the race and swung the advantage back to Browning.
From bad to Worse for Lindblad
Lindblad’s troubled afternoon didn’t end there; the Safety Car restart saw the Red Bull Junior, nursing extensive front wing damage, lock up into Turn 1 and hit Roman Stanek, eliminating both. Post-race, the stewards came down hard. A 10-second penalty for his collision with Dunne turned into a five-place grid drop for failing to serve it, while the second incident earned him another five-place drop.
Through it all, Browning held his nerve. The Williams junior briefly lost the lead to Duerksen on Lap 14 but retook it with a decisive DRS move five laps later. Martí and Villagómez battled for the final podium place, where Martí eventually prevailed.
Behind them, title leader Fornaroli fought hard for fourth, finishing just 0.077s clear of Beganovic. Gabriele Minì delivered an impressive drive from P15 to seventh, while Verschoor climbed to eighth to keep his championship challenge alive.
When the dust settled, Browning stood atop the Monza podium for the first time in F2 in a breakthrough moment that moved him to second in the standings.
The Championship Picture
After the 2025 F2 Italian Grand Prix, Leonardo Fornaroli remains the man to beat. His tally has now climbed to 174 points. Browning’s Feature Race win elevates him to second on 153, while Verschoor slips to third on 144. Jak Crawford and Dunne round out the top five – Dunne is sure to be nursing his wounds from a less-than-perfect weekend around the Temple of Speed.
In the Teams’ fight, Invicta Racing continue to lead with 255 points, but Hitech TGR’s surge brings them to 223, just ahead of Campos Racing on 213.
The stage is now set for a thrilling end to the season, with Round 12 at Baku looming as the next decisive chapter.
Featured image: Formula Motorsport Ltd