Interview
‘Confident’ Fornaroli says improved mentality has been key to 2024 form
Leonardo Fornaroli is feeling “confident” ahead of the return to action at his home race in Imola for Round 3, following a strong start to the season and test in Barcelona.
The Trident driver is currently tied with Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with 37 points.
Fornaroli has finished on the podium twice this season, at the Sakhir Sprint Race and the Melbourne Feature, and the Italian also qualified on pole for the latter event. Speaking recently the Trident driver said he was pleased with the season so far.
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“I am happy with our performances in Bahrain and Melbourne,” stated Fornaroli. “The pace was strong both in Quali and the race and we collected good points.
“The season is still long, we have eight race weekends to go, so I am not focusing on points and those kinds of things at the moment. I am just focusing on doing my best and being as consistent as possible.”
This is Fornaroli’s second campaign in Formula 3 following a rookie season during which he achieved three podiums and finished 11th in the Drivers’ Standings.
It has been a much-improved showing from him as after two rounds of running in 2023, he had scored 19 points and was yet to stand on the podium.
Explaining where he thinks he has improved, Fornaroli said: “A lot of things have changed, not only as a driver but also in my mentality. So, when it comes to managing the Qualifying, managing the race, I think we have taken a huge step forward.
“As well as that, I have also improved in tyre management. I hope it will prove to be a key point during this season but mainly I am just very happy about my improvements.”
He also felt he and his team got better at last month’s in-season test in Barcelona. But while they tried plenty of new setup choices and moved in the “right direction”, Fornaroli says it is hard to know where they stack up compared to their rivals.
“We were more focused on ourselves because in testing you really don't know what the others are doing,” he explained. “You don't know if they have more fuel or if they are pushing as hard as they can.
“So, we already had all the plans before the test, and we tried all of them across the three days and I think we are heading into the right direction for the race weekends.”
Next up on the calendar is his home race in Imola where he will have both his father and sister in attendance. Fornaroli says he is “confident” heading into the European races but was keen to take it one round at a time.
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“Of course I am feeling confident,” he declared. “But you know I don't want to think too much about the performance, I am just trying to focus on the present, not on the future.
“So, when we get to Imola, I will think about Imola. When I’m in Monaco, I will think about Monaco, I will not think about the rest of the season. I will approach the rest of the season this way.”