Weekend Recap: Nikola Tsolov Takes Fourth F2 Victory of the Season in Austria

Nikola Tsolov delivered one of his most complete drives of the season at the Red Bull Ring, winning Sunday’s Feature Race in Austria and cutting the gap at the top of the Formula 2 Championship to just two points.

After a strong Friday, a solid Sprint Race recovery and a mature, controlled performance on Sunday, Nikola leaves Spielberg with another major result and even more momentum heading into Silverstone.

Friday: Strong Pace From the Start

Nikola showed speed from the opening session of the weekend, finishing second in Free Practice, just 0.070 seconds behind Oliver Goethe. It was a strong start at a circuit that has already played an important role in his junior career and gave Campos Racing a positive base heading into qualifying.

Qualifying brought another strong result for the team. Noel León took his first Formula 2 pole position, with Nikola qualifying third on a 1:15.730, only 0.186 seconds away from the top spot.

The result put both Campos cars right at the front for Sunday’s Feature Race and gave Nikola a clear chance to fight for victory.

Saturday: A Point From the Sprint

Starting from the reversed grid in Saturday’s Sprint Race, Nikola stayed out of trouble in a race shaped by early incidents and close battles through the field.

He crossed the line ninth on the road, but a post-race penalty for Rafael Câmara moved him up to P8 and gave him one more point for the championship.

It was not the headline result of the weekend, but on a day where championship rival Gabriele Minì also scored, it was important to keep adding to the total and limit the damage before Sunday.

Sunday: A Big Start and a Bigger Win

The Feature Race began perfectly. Starting third, Nikola launched well, passed Alexander Dunne on the run to Turn 1 and then attacked teammate León into Turn 3 to take the lead on the opening lap.

It was a decisive move and immediately put him in control of the race.

The Safety Car was deployed shortly after following contact involving Sebastián Montoya and Rafael Villagómez, but when racing resumed, Nikola kept the lead and began managing the opening stint.

The pit stop phase then made things more complicated. León stopped first, Dunne followed a lap later, and Nikola came in soon after to switch from supersofts to softs. The stop was slower than ideal, which brought Dunne back into the fight and made the middle part of the race much harder than it had looked at the start.

After the stops, Dunne managed to get ahead following a battle at Turn 3, with the two cars making light contact. Nikola stayed calm, kept the pressure on and waited for his chance.

That chance came on Lap 25. Dunne ran wide out of the final corner, and Nikola was close enough to attack into Turn 1. He took the position back, broke out of DRS range and began rebuilding control of the race.

From there, the balance shifted. Minì later passed Dunne for what became second place, but Nikola had already created the gap he needed. As the final pit stops played out, he returned to the lead and drove away, crossing the line 3.993 seconds ahead of Minì to take his fourth Formula 2 win of the season.

Oliver Goethe completed the podium in third, making it a double podium for MP Motorsport, but the day belonged to Nikola.

Fourth Win of the Season and a Special Red Bull Ring Moment

Speaking after the race, Nikola called it his third Feature Race win of the year and fourth victory overall, adding that the race had been “well-managed.”

The win also carried extra meaning at the Red Bull Ring. As a Red Bull Junior, winning in Austria is always special, but Spielberg has also been a track of unfinished business for Nikola in the past. This time, everything came together.

The result brings him to 106 points in the Drivers’ Championship, just two behind leader Gabriele Minì on 108. With Campos Racing also leading the Teams’ Championship, the momentum continues to build.

Austria was not just another win. It was a race that showed patience, racecraft and maturity under pressure. Nikola had the pace from Friday, made the moves when they mattered on Sunday, and delivered another big result in a season that continues to grow stronger.

Next up is Silverstone, with the championship fight now closer than ever.