The "Bulgarian Lion" secured his first pole position on Friday and proved untouchable on the streets of Monaco, taking victory on Sunday and also setting the fastest lap. Boya stepped onto the third step of the podium, confirming Campos Racing’s outstanding competitiveness in Monaco. Inthraphuvasak, starting from the back, finished just shy of the points
It was a superb and productive weekend for Campos Racing in Monaco, which hosted the fourth round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season. Without a doubt, the driver of the weekend had a name: Nikola Tsolov. The Bulgarian was unbeatable in the streets of the Principality from Thursday onwards, and his Red Bull-liveried car was completely out of reach for the competition. Tsolov claimed every available point — taking pole position, fastest lap, and securing his second win of the season.
And what about Mari Boya? The Spanish driver, whose results in previous races had been compromised by his starting grid positions, translated a strong qualifying into his first podium of the current campaign. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, despite starting far back, came close to scoring points — no small feat on a street circuit — and his fighting drives should boost his confidence ahead of Barcelona.
As mentioned, Tsolov already hinted at his ambitions in Thursday’s free practice session, topping the timesheets with a 1m25.622s lap that left his nearest rival over two-tenths behind. Boya finished eighth with a 1m26.390s, while Inthraphuvasak was further back with a 1m27.248s.
On Friday, in the first qualifying session for even-numbered cars — which included both Tsolov and Boya — it was clear this group would be the faster of the two, thanks largely to the Campos Racing duo. With track temperatures nearing 35ºC, Tsolov led from the start with a 1m25.647s lap. Boya briefly went fastest, but Tsolov reclaimed the top spot with a 1m24.882s. Boya, who had dropped to third at one point, responded with a superb 1m25.009s lap to secure second on the timesheets. The second session, for odd-numbered cars including Inthraphuvasak, was slower. Despite Roman Bilinski’s best efforts, the Polish driver couldn’t beat Tsolov’s time, his best being a 1m25.332s. Inthraphuvasak ended up ninth in his group with a 1m26.209s, placing him 18th on the grid for both races. Meanwhile, based on the combined classification, Tsolov and Boya would start Sunday’s race from first and third, respectively.
Saturday’s race, with the top twelve from qualifying reversed, was always going to be a challenge for Boya and Tsolov, who started 10th and 12th respectively. As is almost tradition in Monaco, the safety car came out after the very first of 23 scheduled laps. Boya gained two places on the opening lap to run eighth, while Tsolov suffered engine issues and had to pit, where mechanics removed the engine cover. After nine laps behind the safety car, racing resumed with Boya still in eighth, just behind championship leader Rafael Câmara. Inthraphuvasak was running 19th, and Tsolov, a lap down, focused on verifying the car's condition and chasing the fastest lap. Aware of how tough overtaking is in Monaco, Boya settled for eighth, despite a late hit from Louis Sharp in the penultimate lap, echoing an earlier tap from Callum Voisin. Inthraphuvasak crossed the line in 19th.
For Sunday’s 27-lap feature race, Tsolov knew that holding off Bilinski at the start would be key — and he did so perfectly. Boya also retained third place ahead of Voisin. Tsolov dominated the race from the front, controlling the pace at will. By lap 16, he had opened a gap of nearly seven seconds over Bilinski. However, the safety car was deployed at that moment and remained out until lap 20. Upon the restart, another incident brought the safety car out again. Unfazed, Tsolov kept calm. Racing resumed on lap 23, and over the final four laps, Tsolov extended his lead back to seven seconds — and even set the fastest lap in that brief window. Boya held firm in third, with Voisin never able to mount a challenge. In a race marked by numerous incidents, Inthraphuvasak crossed the finish line in 12th.
Approaching the halfway mark of the season, Tsolov now climbs to third in the drivers’ standings thanks to his haul of points for the win, pole, and fastest lap. He now sits on 61 points. After scoring in both races in Monaco, Boya also breaks into the top ten with 32 points. Inthraphuvasak holds 13. In the team standings, Campos Racing also gains a position and is now second overall with 106 points.
In just a few days’ time, Campos Racing and its drivers will face their third consecutive race weekend, this time on Spanish soil. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host the team’s home event, where they’ll race in front of their fans aiming to expand their list of triumphs and solidify their title challenge.
Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 3): “Such an amazing weekend. I started really strong already in FP with a P1, then kept it up for qualifying. I put a decent lap together which made me pole as well and then I had some issues on Saturday which made the weekend a little bit difficult. Then Sunday on was just amazing. I think I had a good start. I managed the tires really well. I pulled a big gap and I felt really comfortable honestly. I posted the fastest lap as well. So overall the best weekend of the year so far. I took up a bunch of points which is great for the championship sitting P3 now which is giving me a lot of confidence for the following rounds and next week going on to Barcelona which is a track I know very well and pretty much everyone. So yeah, super happy and hopefully we can keep this momentum up and keep doing good qualifying as in the races we definitely are really strong.”
Mari Boya (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 3): “I’m delighted about how this weekend developed in Monaco. We managed to strengthen our previous weak areas and it has been proved because of I’m continuously improving the haul of points every weekends. Both Campos Racing and I are building up our confidence, so it’s amazing to have another chance to make steps forward in a few days’ time at our home round in Barcelona.”
