Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov continued on his strong run of Qualifying form at the 2026 F2 Monaco GP, securing himself a front-row start in P2 for Sunday’s Feature Race. Having gone out in the second group during the session, the Bulgarian was tasked with hunting down Rafael Câmara’s benchmark. The Brazilian topped Group A and had claimed pole position under pressure, having sustained suspension damage to his car during the session.
Speaking in the post-Qualifying press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Tsolov reflected on his session, saying: “Yeah, the session, I would say, was a bit more calm for me. We had a red flag in the beginning, but it didn’t really affect that much. We still managed to get four clean laps in. And it was tricky.”
“We have changed some things in the car since yesterday, and I don’t think that was probably in the right direction. I didn’t feel as confident as yesterday, I would say. And we’re just trying to build slowly into the session.”
“Unfortunately, had a lock-up in T1, I think, on my second push, which flat-spotted the tyre and then was just a little bit difficult to see on the straights and the braking points and stuff. So, a little mistake, which happens in Monaco, but then was able to put a decent last lap together.”
“I think the car started working in the right window there. It could have been better, but I’m sure everyone can say that about their laps. So, happy to be P2 at the moment. I think, coming into this weekend, I just wanted to start and build on consistency. Because I know we had the pace, but it’s just been a lot of ups and downs so far.”
“It’s more of how clean the session goes for me” – Tsolov on the split format
Unlike a typical race weekend, Qualifying around the Principality uses a split format, with half the grid taking part in a sixteen minute session before the second group heads out for theirs. Although Group B’s times were not as competitive as those set in the first session, the 19 year-old believes there are advantages and disadvantages to being in either group.
“Not too sure. I haven’t looked at the sectors yet. But, yeah, Sector 1 could have been slower.”, Tsolov said. “The conditions should not change that much. It’s more of how clean the session goes. For me, that matters the most.”
“But, definitely, driving straight after F1 is usually quite beneficial. I think that’s the benefit of Group 1. But then Group 2 knows the track a little bit better, has a better reference. So, it’s 50-50, I would say.”
As focus shifts to the Sprint Race, Tsolov explained that while he would be keen to score points if the opportunity arises, his primary focus will be on learning as much as possible for Sunday’s Feature Race, given the limited overtaking opportunities Monaco typically offers.
The Red Bull Junior said: “I think the sprint is just about learning a little bit how the car handles during the race, just to have a better idea for Sunday. The only points you could probably pick up is damage from the others. There’s not much overtaking opportunity.”
“It can be a bit risky with the F2. We can’t really turn enough to get around some corners. Let’s see how that goes. Just learn for Sunday, for me.”
Tsolov on tyre and brake behaviour in F2 car
When asked about the challenges the current generation of F2 cars pose under braking, Tsolov explained: “Because I think they’re carbon and probably the brakes are stronger sometimes than the tyre itself in terms of performance. So when we get the right window with temperature, I think they brake really well and usually they’re quite predictable.”
“But there is a lot of times where there’s offset between the left or the right side in some tracks or usually we get rear glazing, so they become a lot less effective.”
He added: “Especially on the bite. So you kind of have to predict what you have most of the time. And on a track like Monaco, braking is always difficult with the bumps so I think the combination just makes it a little bit difficult but for me that’s it.”
Finding continuous success around the streets of Monaco
Historically, the Bulgarian driver has enjoyed success around the Principality, having won the Formula 3 (F3) Sprint Race in 2024 and securing both pole position and the Feature Race win in F3 last year.
Returning to the front row of the grid for the second year running, he shared how he has always felt confident since his first visit to Monaco in 2023.
“Yeah, obviously I really like the track since the first time I came here back in 2023.”, Tsolov said.
“I think I already felt confident with it and was putting in good laps. So last year obviously was great, I did the pole and then managed to win the feature race. But this year it’s a little different, in the F2 I had to get used to how the car works around the track. It is a little different this year, especially on braking.”
Although building up to the result came more slowly this time around, he remained pleased with securing P2. However, given the unpredictable nature of Formula 2, Tsolov is focused on delivering a well-executed race on Sunday, in a weekend that is still “all to play for”.
“I think I built up the weekend slower this year to try and just do a decent result, whether it’s top 3, top 5 for me that was more important than just focusing mainly on the pole. But obviously it’s great to be that close to it.”
“Then Sunday is all to play for, I mean the last two years the pole sitter didn’t win. So it’s been a bit of a mess in F2, with the pit stops and safety cars which makes it interesting Sunday evening so let’s see what happens.”
A gap between Free Practice and Qualifying
Adjusting to the unusual schedule this weekend proved a slight challenge for Tsolov, who noted that there was a lot going on between Free Practice on Thursday and Qualifying on Friday.
The 19 year-old said: “Yeah it is quite different to an usual weekend, and for me usually it hasn’t been too challenging in F3. But I did feel a little more challenged this year, especially because you wake up and the session is quite late in the day.”
“So I would say you do a lot of things before you jump in the car, so it’s a little bit harder to clear your mind, let’s say. And then I felt like I was pushing myself to be on the limit in this session, it wasn’t that easy as I thought it would be, let’s say. So yeah, you just have to be on it, you have to be sharp before you jump in.”
Interruptions always to be expected around Monaco
Echoing similar sentiments to Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne, he believes that interruptions around Monaco are always bound to happen. While interruptions did not heavily disrupt his own session, Tsolov is more concerned that, had they experienced more delays, being at the end of the pit lane could have posed a significant issue.
“Yeah, just like Alex [Dunne] said, the red flags are quite expected around this track. My session wasn’t too interrupted, we just went in the beginning so it was kind of calm.”
“But it was going to be difficult for me if there was more, because we were second last in the pit lane, so we were definitely in a bit of a danger from that but it didn’t happen so I’m glad.”
