Nikola Tsolov heads into the Formula 2 weekend in Madrid as the championship leader and looks forward to hopefully extending his lead.
Tsolov has soared to an immensely strong rookie campaign in F2. With four rounds to go, Tsolov stands as the championship leader with 177 points.
The Madring is a new addition to the championship, so the F2 drivers have never raced on the track. This weekend, they rely solely on simulator data and can use the F1 and F3 tests to set their expectations. The F3 drivers described the track as a ‘drivers’ track’, comparing it to Budapest and Jeddah.
Despite the mystery of how F2 will handle the Madring, Motorsport Week asked Tsolov what excites him about the track, based on his first impression ahead of the weekend.
“What’s exciting is being so close to the walls, and it’s a street track so I really love that,” the Campos driver began.
“It makes you be able to enjoy what you do even more because it’s just so much adrenaline. What’s quite cool is we’re expecting the track asphalt to be quite grippy compared to the usual asphalts.
“I think the combination of having a street track but a good asphalt and very grippy is going to be cool and it’ll allow you to push, get close to the walls and explore everything a bit more.”
The pressure of the lead
The Campos driver has been catching the eye of many since his third season in F3. For many, spending several seasons in the junior categories can be detrimental, but for Tsolov, it only made him stronger. Last year, he became a Red Bull Junior. Then this year saw the Bulgarian storm into F2 and immediately turn more heads.
Asked about the pressure of being the championship leader as a rookie as well as a part of the Red Bull Junior team, the driver remained cool. He admitted the pressure rises no matter what you do, but knowing what he can do keeps him focused.
“There’s always pressure, I think, at the end of the day. I was with them last year as well, and obviously as the third-year driver in F3 I felt a lot of pressure because the goal was to win the championship, whereas this year the goal was to keep developing and keep getting better.
“Obviously, fighting for the championship, winning races, is always a goal, but I do feel like I’ve been doing everything that I need to, so in that way I just know I’m capable of it.
“Every time I’m down or have a tough weekend, I just remind myself of what I’ve been able to do in the past and just bounce back again.”
Battle for the championship lead
While Tsolov has had an amazing rookie season so far, the threat from Rafa Camara continues to grow. The championship rivals are separated by only 11 points as they head into Madrid. The Bulgarian leads for now, but Camara has been building strong momentum of late, which could cost Tsolov the lead.
When Motorsport Week asked whether he feels on the back foot as the gap shrinks or instead sees each weekend as a fresh slate, Tsolov explained his mindset to avoid extra pressure.
“I think each weekend is individual, and you start from zero; you need to look at it that way. Yes, he’s been catching up, so maybe you have the idea to feel stressed about it, but if you tell me it’s the opposite, if I’ve been behind before this weekend and because of Monza I’m ahead, I’ll tell you I’m really confident.
“I just try to put it that way in my head that it’s the situation we’re in right now. If you told me that, before starting the season, that I would be in this position, I’d tell you yes. So just fully starting from zero this weekend and looking forward to it.”
READ MORE: F2 Preview: The series’ debut weekend around Madrid
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