Nikola Tsolov was reprimanded with a five-second penalty for causing a collision in the Formula 2 Sprint Race with Sebastian Montoya at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
In the second half of the Sprint Race, Tsolov was close on the back of Montoya and made a lunge from precariously far back into the opening corners. Coming from too far back, Tsolov rammed into the side of the PREMA driver through the corner. This ended both of their races.
The incident was investigated after the session. The Stewards evaluated onboard video and data available to reach a decision. They deemed that Tsolov was predominantly at fault for the collision.
He was awarded a 10-second penalty. However, as he had retired from the race, the penalty was converted into a five-place grid drop as set out in Article 39.3 of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations.
However, the penalty bumps the Bulgarian down to 12th on the Grid for the Feature Race. Notably, it also moves his championship rival, Gabriele Mini, up a place. He starts eighth on tomorrow’s grid.
The championship standings
The collision itself closed the gap in the Championship standings by 11 points as Mini took the win and the fastest lap point. The gap currently sits at just 16 points. With 25 points on the table for the winner of the Feature Race.
In a championship as close as F2, any mistake can make a significant difference to the standings. While there are only 16 points separating the top two, there’s only a further 15 points back to Rafa Camara.
All of the top three have been in their top form across the 2026 season, ready to pick up on their competitors’ mistakes. With the last round before summer break, having momentum will be important for the drivers’ mindsets.
READ MORE: Gabriele Mini charges to F2 victory at Hungarian GP Sprint Race
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