site.btaFormula 2 Driver Tsolov Says Strong Starts Key to British Grand Prix Double

Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov pointed to his strong starts as one of his main weapons this Formula 2 season after completing a British Grand Prix double at Silverstone on Sunday.

The Bulgarian Campos Racing driver gained three places at the start in both the sprint and the feature race.

On Sunday, Tsolov started fifth on the grid and quickly climbed to second, passing qualifying winner Rafael Camara.

Asked in an interview with Diema Sport whether he had practised these starts, Tsolov said: “Of course I practise them. My starts this year have been strong, but I did not expect it to be quite as good as it was on Sunday. That was where I managed to gain an advantage.”

After passing Camara, Tsolov tucked in behind Kush Maini and spent a long time behind the Indian driver, including after the tyre change on lap seven. The Bulgarian eliminated Maini’s advantage by lap 19 and passed him on the next lap, when the two were effectively fighting for eighth place.

After everyone had stopped in the pits, Tsolov emerged in first place and could only be threatened by Rafael Villagomez, who was running an alternative strategy. The Mexican Van Amersfoort Racing driver was clearly the faster of the two, but Tsolov already had a five-second lead and reached first place without difficulty.

“It was a very close overtake [against Maini]. Kush approached it with respect for me, as I did for him. It turned into a very nice battle. I almost lost the car at the first right-hander, but I managed to keep it and then my focus was to get out of the corner as quickly as possible so he would have no chance to overtake me. From then on, I knew I had good pace and had to manage the tyres to avoid the risk from the alternative strategy [by Villagomez],” Tsolov added.

Meanwhile, the race went badly for the Bulgarian’s main rival in the title fight, Gabriele Mini. The Italian began the day level on points with Tsolov but finished sixth, leaving the Campos Racing driver as the outright leader with a 17-point advantage.

Tsolov has built his rookie Formula 2 season around a string of major wins. He opened the year with victory in the feature race at Albert Park in Australia, then added the sprint race in Miami and the feature race in Monaco, where he secured his third podium in eight starts. A week before Silverstone, he also won the Formula 2 race in Austria after starting third and taking the lead early.

The Bulgarian moved up to Formula 2 after a strong 2025 Formula 3 campaign, when he was recruited by the Red Bull Junior Team and Campos Racing. In April, Tsolov said Formula 1 was within reach because it is just one step away from Formula 2, but added that his chances would depend on maintaining strong results throughout the season.