Running behind Mikhail Aleshin on the front straight, Bonanomi jinked out to make a pass but touched wheels with the Russian which launched him into the air and after hitting the bottom of the scoring tower, his car landed upside down on the grass beside the pit exit.

From 2003 to 2005 Bonanomi focussed on Formula Three competing in the Italian championship and the Euro Series, as well as a number of one-off races.

During this period he drove for the former Formula One team, Coloni, and another run by retired F1 driver and compatriot Piercarlo Ghinzani.

He finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship with six pole positions and wins from eighteen starts; his most successful stint yet in motorsport.

He returned to the GP2 Asia Series in the 2008–09 championship, replacing Alex Yoong at Qi-Meritus Mahara from the January Bahrain meeting onwards.