"We brake 70 meters before the corner, put the left tires on the curb upon entering and exiting it, and take it in fourth gear," the Bulgarian Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov fires off in seconds. His answer manages to surprise the instructor, who had just asked our small group how the first corner of the Red Bull Ring should be taken.
The scene takes place in a small room, where two track instructors introduce us to the characteristics of the Red Bull Ring corners and explain the specifics of the 2018 Formula 4 cars. Afterwards, we head to the track, where Nikola achieved some of his greatest successes in Formula 3 and Formula 2. There, the two winners of the Red Bull Kart Fight – Viktor Nikolov and Georgi Vankov – will get behind the wheel of a Formula 4 car.
They are joined by several other participants, as well as Nikola Tsolov himself. Viktor won the Red Bull Kart Fight in Bulgaria, and Georgi – in Greece. Their prize is the opportunity to drive a Formula 4 car together with Nikola Tsolov on the Austrian track. And if that's not enough reason to fight for victory in the Red Bull Kart Fight, it's hard to find a stronger motivation.
During the briefing, we learn more about the track configuration, as well as the characteristics of the Formula 4 car. The machine has a power of 200 horsepower and weighs under 600 kilograms. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes less than four seconds, but this does not particularly matter, as there is no speedometer on the steering wheel. Instead, the driver monitors a digital tachometer with a light indicator in green, orange, and red. If the red lights go on, it means the moment for upshifting has already been missed.
Next is changing into racing suits, trying on helmets and shoes. For Viktor, Georgi, and the rest of the group, this is not their first such experience. They all have solid experience in endurance karting competitions, take driving seriously, and have participated in numerous races in all kinds of weather conditions. Some of them have even sat in a Formula 4 car before, so the upcoming drive promises to be interesting.
Nikola talks about his experience from the 2022 season, when he dominated Spanish Formula 4 and won the championship title. Of course, since then he has accumulated much more knowledge and skills in the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships.
He explains to us how on all straights you can drive in the highest sixth gear, how the tires are heated on the straights with full throttle and applied brake, and that during the lap there should not be a single moment where the driver is not accelerating or braking. In other words, the car should not be allowed to coast. Everything that Nikola shares from his personal experience seems almost impossible for an ordinary person who hasn't sat in a small Formula 1-style car for 20 years.
At the pit lane exit, the group manages to get going with minimal time loss, despite a few stalled engines. Two laps behind the instructor, who is driving a Porsche 718, follow. "Because there is air conditioning in the Porsche," goes his joking remark. However, Austrian humor does not differ much from German.