Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Leonardo Fornaroli’s overcut strategy contributed to him losing Formula 2’s Red Bull Ring feature race after starting on pole, but he does not regret his pitstop timing.
The Invicta Racing driver revealed to media including Formula Scout that it was his decision to pit on lap eight of 40, which was the furthest anyone who started on the supersoft compound tyres.
ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins had pitted from third on lap six, and MP Motorsport’s race winner Richard Verschoor switched to the soft tyres at the end of lap seven.
“[Pitstop timing] is something that changes a lot depending by what’s happening. [Invicta] told me that there was some mess in the pitlane, so I wanted to avoid what happened in Imola. Because we all pitted at the same time, I got stuck for a long time and lost like three positions.
“I was feeling good. So I said ‘okay, I’m going to go one lap longer’. At the end, it was not the right decision. But I’m happy I took it. I wanted to go, I felt good. It was not the best decision, but it’s okay. As I said, it’s experience.”
Martins, Verschoor, Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne and Campos Racing’s Pepe Marti all successfully undercut Fornaroli. Although he moved back up to third on-the-road (which became second once Dunne was disqualified), he finished almost 10 seconds behind Verschoor who could better manage his pace in clear air.
“I’m quite happy with our performance. Looking on my prime stint, I lacked some pace compared to Richard and Alex, so there is definitely some things to improve. But I’m happy about my first stint. I had a good start, remained on the lead. I had always a nice gap to P2.
“Then I decided to play a bit more the longer game. But now, looking back, I think it was better to pit one lap earlier. But it’s okay, still P3, was a nice fight with Pepe and Victor, and experience in the pack.”
A key moment in Fornaroli’s second stint was his outlap, as he exited the pits ahead of Dunne and Marti but quickly dropped behind them.
“It was a bit more difficult than what I expected. First of all, I didn’t want to crash on pit exit, which is actually very easy [to do],” he explained.
“Then with cold tyres, on a circuit that requires some big braking zones, it’s very easy to lock up, have a flat spot or go in the gravel. So I really didn’t want to make a mistake, and just bring my tyres in temperature. But I was a bit too cautious, and I had Pepe and Alex just behind me with hot tyres.”
Neither driver pulled away once ahead of Fornaroli, meaning he was able to utilise his fresher rubber later on after remaining in DRS distance of the pair. He overtook Marti on lap 14, and they both cleared Martins with five laps to go.