Exclusively for YawClub, we interviewed Leonardo Fornaroli, young pilot of Formula 3. Piacenza's class of 2004 was the best rookie in the 2022 Formula Regional and after 1 year in F3, where he showed so much speed, he dreams of a fight in the "high" areas of the rankings: the interview on the eve of the new season
Leonardo Fornaroli talks about himself after a season in F3:
Tonio: “Hi Leonardo, first of all how are you? After school? “
Leonardo Fornaroli"Hello I'm fine thanks! It's an intense period between training in the gym, on the Karts and on the simulator but we are pushing hard in view of the new Formula season 3. Yes, after school but I have started a university career and I will have to give my best there too".
T: “Is the school career better or the season just finished in Formula 3?”
Leonardo Fornaroli: “Luckily I managed to manage both things quite well. I completed my high school diploma and also achieved a lot of satisfaction. In Formula 3 I can say that I would have liked something more, but I can consider myself satisfied".
T: “If you were to introduce yourself, how would you describe Leonardo Fornaroli? When did you realize that your path was becoming something important?”
Leonardo Fornaroli: “Leonardo Fornaroli is a nineteen year old who with a dream, reach the premier Formula class. This seemed like madness 3 years ago, but with a lot of commitment and sacrifice, I will go to Bahrain for the second year in Formula 3. It all happened naturally, at 14 obviously perceptions are different and at 19 they change with maturity and awareness . Perhaps the most significant step was when my dad decided to turn to a professional manager. There I had the feeling that it would be less and less a game and more and more a very serious thing.”
The path in Formula Regional and the arrival in Formula 3:
T: “How much have your parents had and are having an impact on your journey? Who is closest to you on race weekends?”
Leonardo Fornaroli: “My father always follows me on every race weekend, my mother not so much. He is very afraid of seeing my races, as a good mother he wants to protect me. But they both support me and accompanied me in F4 and contributed to my arrival in Trident".
T: “Did you expect this fantastic debut in Formula Regional where you won the rookie title in your first year?”
Leonardo Fornaroli: "If I have to tell the truth, no I didn't expect it. Also because I immediately understood at the beginning of the year that it would be very difficult. There were a lot of really strong rookies, but during the year both Trident and I improved significantly. Let's also remember that Trident was in its first year in the FRESH which is a very complicated category so yes, I'm really happy with what we managed to do".
T: “Do you feel happy with what you've done so far? Are you satisfied or at times you preferred something else? "
Leonardo Fornaroli: “Obviously I'm grateful for everything because having the possibility of making the path to Formula 1 isn't a given, but if I have to be honest I'm not very satisfied with my first season in Formula 3. The speed was really high though, for a series of unfortunate events, and in any case a few too many mistakes on my part, we were unable to best express our potential. Nothing that can't be remedied next year".
T: "Don't you think you're being too hard on yourself? During the season you often had the same speed as the defending champion Gabriel Bortoleto."
Leonardo Fornaroli: “Unfortunately the last three rounds had a huge impact on the final championship position. Since we were in total comfort in the overall Top 10, due to a series of somewhat unfortunate events and a bit of inexperience, we didn't manage the races at our best and therefore I slipped further and further to the bottom and we ended up in a position that does not respect the value shown throughout the season".
"Even if sometimes, as you said, I was faster than him [Gabriel Bortoleto], his race management was certainly on another level but not only compared to me but also compared to all the other riders. There is something to learn and I treasure what he has done, especially because when the car was there I was there and this gives me hope for the future!"
You can find the complete interview here YouTube on Tonio's channel:
