Imperious Tsolov leaves Silverstone as championship leader after securing two victories. Campos Racing extends teams’ advantage
Silverstone Circuit, the home of British motorsport, had one name standing above all others this weekend: Nikola Tsolov. The Campos Racing driver achieved a feat that is a genuine rarity in FIA Formula 2 by winning both races in the same event. The talented Red Bull Junior Team member stood out not only for his speed and bravery, but also for his race management and intelligence in handling changing circumstances. He arrived at Silverstone within striking distance of the championship lead; he leaves as the outright leader. Campos Racing also remains at the top of the Teams’ standings, now with an even larger advantage than it held upon arriving in the United Kingdom. Besides Tsolov’s outstanding performances, Noel León also contributed valuable points after producing an excellent recovery drive on Sunday and setting the fastest lap.
Friday’s free practice session allowed teams and drivers to evaluate the soft and hard tyre compounds selected by Pirelli for Silverstone. After completing forty laps between them, Tsolov posted a best time of 1m42.419s, while León recorded a lap of 1m42.724s.
However, the first real challenge of the weekend arrived later that afternoon with qualifying, which began with track temperatures exceeding 44ºC. On his first run using the opening set of tyres, Tsolov clocked a 1m41.164s lap, provisionally placing him sixth. León’s initial effort of 1m41.703s put the Mexican driver thirteenth. After returning to the pits for a second set of soft tyres, Tsolov found additional pace and improved to a 1m39.972s lap, securing fifth position on the grid. León also significantly improved on his earlier benchmark, but his best effort of 1m40.557s left him sixteenth and facing two recovery drives over the remainder of the weekend.
Saturday’s sprint race, scheduled over 21 laps, saw Tsolov line up sixth on the reversed-grid starting order. When the lights went out, the “Bulgarian Lion” produced one of the trademark starts that have become his hallmark, surging into third place within just a few metres behind Gabriele Minì and Rafael Villagómez. León also gained several positions and completed the opening lap in twelfth before the safety car was deployed following a multi-car incident that left John Bennett stranded on track and out of the race. After five laps behind the safety car, racing resumed on lap six. Tsolov immediately produced a superb move around the outside of Villagómez at Stowe to move into second place. From that point onward, Minì was directly ahead, but the Bulgarian opted to remain patient, preserving his tyres while studying his rival. Running consistently around one-and-a-half seconds behind the Italian, Tsolov also noticed that Villagómez had fallen away. Lap 16 proved decisive. Minì ran wide at Loop, allowing Tsolov to close in before making the pass along Wellington Straight. From there, Tsolov controlled proceedings perfectly to claim his fifth victory of the season. León ultimately finished twelfth in the opening race of the weekend.
The main event still awaited: Sunday’s 29-lap feature race featuring a mandatory pit stop. Could Tsolov complete a clean sweep? Given their different starting positions, the two Campos Racing drivers adopted contrasting strategies. Tsolov started on the soft tyres, while León chose the hard compound and aimed to extend his opening stint as much as possible. A large part of Tsolov’s hopes of victory would depend on the start, and the Red Bull Junior Team driver delivered once again. As the lights went out, Tsolov launched brilliantly, threading his way between Alex Dunne and Rafael Câmara before slotting in behind Kush Maini through the opening corner. Further back, León began his charge through the field, overtaking several rivals including Mari Boya. The opening laps were critical, especially for those running on soft tyres such as Tsolov. The Campos Racing driver remained close to Maini, generally within one second of the Indian, before making his pit stop. On lap seven, the majority of the front-runners, including Tsolov, switched to the hard compound. After rejoining, Tsolov remained glued to Maini’s gearbox, making a couple of tentative attacks but wisely avoiding unnecessary risks, particularly given that his championship rivals were all behind him.
The race then entered a tyre-management phase, with eight drivers ahead yet to stop, among them León. Running fourth at that stage, the Mexican was lapping in the low 1m45s while shadowing the cars ahead. As Maini and Tsolov began catching those on the alternate strategy, the Red Bull protégé decided it was time to attack once more. After both drivers cleared Cian Shields, Tsolov first attempted to pass Maini around the outside at Stowe and then up the inside at Vale. Faced with resistance from the virtual race leader, he selected a different overtaking opportunity. That moment came through the fearsome high-speed sequence of Maggotts and Becketts, where Tsolov’s commitment saw him run side-by-side with Maini, forcing the Indian driver to lift and surrender the lead. Tsolov was now effectively leading the race once the remaining drivers ahead completed their pit stops, and he quickly pulled away from Maini thanks to superior pace. Of those drivers still to stop, León stayed out the longest and even inherited the race lead before making his pit stop on lap 25. Equipped with fresh soft tyres, the Mexican had two laps to attack at full speed and maximise his points haul. After 29 laps, Tsolov crossed the finish line as the winner to secure his sixth victory of the season. León delivered a sensational closing stint to finish seventh and also collect the bonus point for fastest lap.
As the championship reaches its halfway point, Tsolov now leads the standings with 141 points, holding a seventeen-point advantage over Minì. León remains fifth in the Drivers’ Championship with 69 points. In the Teams’ standings, Campos Racing further extends its lead with 210 points, 58 clear of its nearest rival.
The next championship round will take place in two weeks’ time at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Ardennes and will mark the beginning of the second half of the season.
