The F3 Feature Race at the 2024 Italian GP concluded a spectacular season, and the championship title came down to the very final corner. Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli has made history, becoming the first Italian driver to secure the Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship – and doing it on home soil. Meanwhile, his teammate Sami Meguetounif claimed his second F3 victory of the season, but it was Fornaroli’s dramatic final-corner pass on Christian Mansell that clinched the title, snatching it away from Gabriele Minì, who finished second both in the race and the championship standings.
As it Happened
At lights out, Fornaroli was on the defence from Alex Dunne, retaining the lead into the first chicane. Behind them, MP Motorsport’s Dunne was followed closely by Minì in third. Dunne made his move into Parabolica, overtaking Fornaroli for the lead, while Meguetounif slipped into third, demoting Minì to P4 as Lap 2 began.
Further down the grid, Luke Browning had an impressive start, climbing to 11th from 13th on the grid. However, he dropped back to 12th on Lap 3 when Joseph Loake overtook him at Turn 1. Browning’s race quickly turned into a crisis as he went side-by-side with Nikola Tsolov into Ascari, spinning on the corner entry. A separate incident involving Cian Shields, Sophia Floersch, and Matías Zagazeta resulted in a Safety Car, leaving Browning to continue in 26th after a pit stop.
Racing Resumes
Racing resumed on Lap 7, and Dunne held the lead while Minì dropped to fifth after being overtaken by Christian Mansell. Fornaroli, battling for the lead with Dunne into Ascari, ran wide and lost several positions, falling to fifth and slipping behind Minì.
Lap 8 saw Minì make a mistake of his own, going off into the gravel at Lesmo, allowing Fornaroli to regain fourth position. Up front, Meguetounif took the lead from Dunne at Turn 1 on Lap 10, with Mansell soon doing the same, moving into second.
Fornaroli continued his charge for the championship on Lap 15, passing Dunne for third and placing a crucial buffer between himself and Minì. Minì later overtook Dunne to reclaim fourth, but Fornaroli stayed ahead. On Lap 18, Fornaroli moved up to second by passing Mansell, despite locking up. Minì, determined to stay in the running for the championship, followed through at Ascari and closing in on his rival.
Closing Laps
The title battle intensified as another lock-up from Fornaroli on Lap 20 allowed Minì to close the gap. On the penultimate lap, Minì overtook Fornaroli for second, only to be challenged by Mansell into Roggia. Mansell ultimately took the position.
As the final lap got underway, Minì fought to keep Mansell at bay, but Fornaroli wasn’t done yet. In a last-ditch effort, he lunged at Mansell in the final corner, securing third place and, with it, the championship title.
Meguetounif cruised to his second F3 victory in the feature race at the 2024 Italian GP, followed by Minì in second and Fornaroli in third. Dunne finished fifth, with Martinius Stenshorne, Tim Tramnitz, Noel León, Laurens van Hoepen, and Arvid Lindblad rounding out the top 10.
What’s Next?
The 2024 FIA Formula 3 season has finished, but post-season testing is set for October. The first session will be in Jerez on October 8-9, followed by Barcelona on October 15-16. This will also mark the final outing for the current generation of F3 cars before the new 2025 model is introduced.
Featured Image credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.