Nikola Tsolov with First Formula 2 Podium in Abu Dhabi

Nikola Tsolov continues to impress in Formula 2. The Campos Racing driver made a magnificent start in the sprint race at Abu Dhabi. The Bulgarian finished in third place, trailing by 9.605 seconds behind his teammate Arvid Lindblad, who won the race. Joshua Duerksen of AIX Racing finished second.

Just a day before, the Bulgarian lion took ninth place in the qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and according to the reverse grid rules, this assigned him second position for the sprint. However, he was penalized three places for blocking against Luke Browning of Hitech TGR, and so he started the short-distance race in fifth.

Tsolov made a great start and immediately overtook Oliver Goethe and Victor Martins, and ahead of him remained Duerksen and Lindblad. By the fifth lap, the two were gaining half a second on the Bulgarian, with the three being the only drivers with times under a minute and 41 seconds.

The race was delayed on the eighth lap with a virtual safety car due to a blocked engine of John Bennett from Van Amersfoort Racing, and this brought the pursuer Goethe to half a second of Tsolov. The Bulgarian, however, pulled away again after the green flag and accumulated a comfortable advantage, which he preserved until the end of the race and won his first podium in Formula 2. The third place brought him six points for the general classification, doubling his points.

Tsolov was close to the podium last week in Qatar, but an aggressive maneuver by a rival took him out of the top 3 of the sprint and left him in tenth place.

The race for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is tomorrow at 11:15 Bulgarian time, and in it the Bulgarian driver of Campos Racing will start from 12th position.