James Robinson (Invicta) places Fornaroli above Bortoleto: "He is by far the best"

Team principal of Invicta, F2 champions for the second consecutive year, James Robinson didn't hesitate to heap praise on his new driver. Having secured the title before the end of the 2025 season, Leonardo Fornaroli will not be in F1 in 2026, but seems to have the support of everyone around him.

Published 29/12/2025 à 11:00

Mathieu Chambenoit

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James Robinson (Invicta) places Fornaroli above Bortoleto: "He is by far the best"

© Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

For the past two seasons, Invicta has been a force to be reckoned with. First through Gabriel Bortoleto, then Leonardo Fornaroli in 2025, the British team quickly established itself as the benchmark in Formula 2and this in front of Campos, Prema, or even Rodin, among others.

James Robinson, who took over as team boss this year and is also a co-owner, was delighted with the success, having taken on the challenge of taking over a team at the top after Gabriel Bortoleto's title win last year. “F2 is a standardized formula; all the cars are identical. Managing to achieve such a performance gap and win the championship two years in a row is quite exceptional.” he rejoiced to FormulaScout. This is not unprecedented, but it is extremely difficult.

“I truly believe this team is the best in F2, which it is, and I make sure everyone buys into that,” he addedWe were able to keep what worked well. We simply built upon it. It's not rocket science. We're just trying to do simple things well. We're trying to focus on what we can control. It's a cliché, but it's true.

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Bortoleto, Fornaroli, and now Câmara?

Not forgetting to congratulate and thank Leonardo Fornaroli, recently crowned Formula 2 champion after a unique season, James Robinson was particularly complimentary towards the Italian. "What he possesses, and what can't really be taught, is his ability to achieve excellent times at the crucial moment," he explained. I mean, in qualifying and during pit stops in the race. We call it "Forna mode" for a good reason. It's our version of the "moment of truth." It's something he does in a truly unique way.

By indirectly comparing the performances of the 2025 champion to those of Gabriel Bortoleto, now a great hope of the Audi program, the Invicta team director somewhat surprised everyone. "Of the four drivers I've worked with on this team over the past two years, he is by far the best." he then launched.

What future awaits Fornaroli?

For his part, Leonardo Fornaroli confided to us that he had intensified his preparation work, naturally favoring his progress and understanding of the car. « I simply intensified everything and put in much more effort. he explained to usI think there are always things to improve, even when you're training at 100% of your potential. This sport is about finding that last little percentage point of performance. […] I think I've made a lot of progress in race and tire management. Formula 2 was even more complex than the Formula 3 "Because of the weight, the power, and the wider tires. I had to pay very close attention to detail, and I've made good progress this year."

Although his future is not yet clear, the new protégé of the industry McLaren will not be in Formula 1 at the dawn of the 2026 season. However, his plan remains clear for the future from 2027 onwards: "For now, the focus is 100% on F1."

Mathieu Chambenoit

Responsible for the single-seater categories (F2, F3, FRECA, Eurocup-3, F4...), I enjoy discussing F1, Endurance, or MotoGP.

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1 Comment (s)

Yves-Henri RANDIER

29/12/2025 at 11:49 a.m.

A member of the McLaren Academy... but with no future prospects at McLaren F1! This is reminiscent of the story of another F2 champion, Théo Pourchaire, whose young driver program ultimately failed.

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