Noel León repeats on the Monza podium as Nikola Tsolov and Campos Racing remain leaders
The 2026 FIA Formula 2 season resumed after the summer break and, in many ways, did so in much the same fashion as it had ended in late July. At the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Noel León returned to the podium, securing no less than his fifth top-three finish of the campaign. Nikola Tsolov, meanwhile, extracted a valuable haul of points from a weekend in which circumstances rarely went his way. Nevertheless, the Red Bull Junior Team driver remains a solid championship leader and, together with León, secured a key points haul for Campos Racing.
On Friday, during Free Practice, Tsolov set the fourth-fastest time with a lap of 1m32.486s, while León was eighth on the timesheets with a 1m32.662s lap. In qualifying that afternoon, held during the hottest part of the day at the Italian circuit, both Campos Racing drivers were consistently among the contenders for pole position. In the end, seventeen drivers finished within the same second, meaning that a couple of tenths could make a huge difference in the order. León set a 1m31.581s lap to take fourth place, with Tsolov two positions further back on 1m31.736s. Unfortunately, during the final hours of the afternoon, the stewards handed out a series of penalties to a significant number of drivers, including León and Tsolov. The Mexican was handed a three-place grid penalty for each race for failing to move sufficiently off the racing line during his preparation lap. Tsolov received an identical penalty, although the Bulgarian was sanctioned for weaving in an attempt to warm up his tyres on the approach to the Parabolica. It was an obstacle in their path, but there was no room for giving up and both drivers would have to fight even harder in the two races.
The first of those races, the Sprint, took place on Saturday over a scheduled 21 laps. On the reverse grid, and after the penalties had been applied, Tsolov lined up eighth and León tenth. When the lights went out, Tsolov and León made flying starts, with the Bulgarian immediately moving into seventh, ahead of León, who had gained two positions. Their next target was Ritomo Miyata, whom Tsolov overtook under braking for the Parabolica, with León following through moments later. The Mexican was showing outstanding pace and moved ahead of Tsolov on lap four, shortly before the Safety Car was deployed after Rafael Câmara was forced out of the race. Racing resumed on lap eight and the battle for position continued unabated. León was engaged in a wheel-to-wheel fight with Martinius Stenshorne, while Tsolov was involved in his own battle with Miyata. León, running sixth, gained another position on lap 13 after overtaking Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at the Variante della Roggia. The Thai driver was also passed by Tsolov half a lap later. The Safety Car made another appearance during the final third of the race following an accident on the back straight and, with just two laps remaining, it returned to the pits. In the final sprint to the flag, León and Tsolov overtook Stenshorne to cross the finish line in fourth and fifth respectively.
Sunday’s race, scheduled for 30 laps, was held in slightly cooler conditions than the previous day. The preferred strategy was to start on the super-soft tyre, which was the option chosen by both Campos Racing drivers, as well as the main podium contenders. At the start, León was once again one of the drivers to gain the most positions in the opening metres. The Mexican was therefore fifth at the end of the first lap, while Tsolov was eighth. The opening laps were all about managing the tyre and trying to extend the first stint for as long as possible. The first pit stops came from lap six onwards, with León stopping on lap seven and Tsolov on lap eight. León laid the foundations for his eventual result during the opening laps after his pit stop, initially battling John Bennett before overtaking Inthraphuvasak to move into fourth. The Thai driver, on cold tyres, was then also overtaken by Tsolov. The Safety Car was deployed on lap 12 following Colton Herta’s off-track excursion. Five laps later, the race resumed and León gained another position when Alex Dunne ran wide at the Second Variante, rejoining behind the Campos Racing driver. From that point onwards, the order became more stable, with the drivers focused on managing tyre degradation. León pulled clear of the rest of the field as he pursued the leading duo. Tsolov, meanwhile, continued his personal battle with Inthraphuvasak and eventually came out on top, with the Bulgarian taking seventh place from the Thai driver with three laps remaining. León crossed the finish line in third, while Tsolov took the chequered flag in seventh.
Tsolov remains at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with 177 points, eleven ahead of Câmara. León remains fifth with 114 points, although he has been closing the gap to the drivers ahead of him. Campos Racing also retains the lead in the Teams’ Championship with 291 points, 47 clear of its nearest rival.
There will be little time to wait for the next FIA Formula 2 round, with the championship returning in just one week for Campos Racing’s second home event of the season. The action will take place at the brand-new Madring in the Spanish capital, where two exciting and fiercely contested races await.
