The seventh round of the 2026 F2 season at the British GP produced a historic and record-breaking weekend, with Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov sweeping both races in commanding style. The Bulgarian driver stormed to his fifth and sixth victories of the season, moving one step closer to breaking even more records after already rewriting the history books over the course of the weekend.
Silverstone brought plenty of highs and lows across the field. While drivers such as Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez enjoyed breakthrough weekends, several pivotal moments also altered the championship ahead of the next round. Before racing resumes, we take a look at the winners and losers from the 2026 F2 British GP.
Winners of the weekend
Nikola Tsolov
There is no denying that the 2026 F2 British GP was Tsolov’s weekend. The Red Bull Junior completed a dominant clean sweep by winning both the Sprint and Feature Races. Despite qualifying only in the midfield and finishing P5 on Friday, he was vocal about the team’s lack of one-lap pace. Although Tsolov qualified outside the top three and championship leader Gabriele Minì lined up even further down the order, maximising the weekend became crucial for both title contenders. Overnight, however, Campos Racing and the 19 year-old unlocked significant performance and proved untouchable for the remainder of the weekend.
On Sprint Saturday, a strong launch off the line saw the Red Bull Junior immediately move into podium contention. After passing Villagómez and closing in on Minì, who appeared to have the race under control, Tsolov made a bold last-lap lunge on the Italian to claim victory and secure a crucial 10 points. More importantly, the victory saw him close the gap in the championship battle, moving level on points with Minì heading into Sunday.
Once again on Sunday, the Bulgarian produced a blistering start, leaping from P5 into P2 at lights out. Having passed Kush Maini after his pit stop, he took control of the Feature Race and showcased impressive pace at the front. He crossed the line to make history as the first driver in the championship’s history to secure three consecutive victories, while also becoming only the fourth F2 driver to complete a double-win sweep in a single weekend.
Claiming his sixth victory of the season, Tsolov further extended his championship lead and now sits 17 points clear. Heading into the eighth round, the Red Bull Junior enters as the driver to beat, with his consistency proving unmatched in recent weeks.
Rafael Villagómez
The 2026 F2 British GP could mark a significant turning point in Villagómez’s season, with the Mexican driver securing a double podium at the seventh round. The achievement continued the momentum he built in Austria, where he claimed his first podium of the season with a P3 finish in the Spielberg Sprint Race.
Having qualified P8 on Friday, Villagómez capitalised on the reverse-grid format for Saturday’s Sprint Race, lining up on the second row. The Mexican maintained his pace throughout the race to secure himself another P3 finish, continuing his run of strong performances. Heading into Sunday’s Feature Race, he admitted that the team lacked the pace to match Tsolov and Minì, who ultimately finished ahead, but Villagómez delivered a storming drive to secure another impressive result.
On Sunday, Villagómez opted for the alternative strategy, starting on the harder compound and extending his opening stint. His strong pace at the front allowed him to build a sufficient gap before pitting, rejoining the race with the opportunity to mount a late charge. The strategy paid dividends for both the Mexican and Van Amersfoort Racing, as he secured his second podium of the weekend. Entering Silverstone with just six points to his name, Villagómez’s standout performance saw him leave with 24 additional points, moving him up to 10th in the Drivers’ Standings with 30 points.
Kush Maini
The 2026 F2 British GP marked one of Maini’s strongest weekends of his fourth F2 campaign so far. Describing it as one of the most consistent weekends he has experienced from the outset in 2026, the Indian driver enjoyed a successful outing at Silverstone, as he walked away with a double points-scoring finishes.
While ART Grand Prix endured a difficult start to the 2026 F2 season, Maini gave the team its first victory of the campaign in Barcelona. Carrying that momentum since then, the Indian qualified P3 for Sunday’s Feature Race before starting P8 in the Sprint. On Sprint Saturday, he fought his way through the field to finish P4, narrowly missing out on a podium by the chequered flag.
The Silverstone weekend ended on another high for Maini, who added a Feature Race podium to his tally. Although Tsolov denied him victory, the Indian driver produced another measured performance to claim himself a P3 finish. Heading into the next round, Maini sits 6th in the Drivers’ Standings with 63 points. With both ART Grand Prix drivers enjoying an upturn in form, the team will aim to continue that progress at Spa-Francorchamps.
Losers of the weekend
Rafael Câmara
The last two rounds have been challenging for the reigning Formula 3 Champion, despite his consistently impressive Qualifying performances on Fridays. The Brazilian stormed to his third pole position of the 2026 season at Silverstone, but once again struggled to convert that one-lap pace into race results, lacking the race pace of those around him in both the Sprint and Feature Races.
Starting P10 for Saturday’s Sprint Race, Câmara struggled to make progress through the field, losing positions at the start before recovering back to where he started. Sunday’s Feature Race brought similar frustrations, as a slow getaway saw Tsolov and Maini gain the advantage at lights out. The Ferrari-backed driver ultimately had to settle for a P5-finish.
While the points haul remained valuable, the result saw Câmara lose further ground to his main championship rivals. Although he remains 3rd in the Drivers’ Standings, the Brazilian now sits 47 points behind championship leader Tsolov. With half of the season still remaining, Câmara will be hoping for greater consistency as he looks to close the gap at the top.
Martinius Stenshorne
The 2026 F2 British GP marked another difficult weekend for Stenshorne, as the Norwegian once again struggled to put together a complete race weekend. Qualifying in P17 left him with an uphill battle for points, and a 10-second time penalty for forcing another driver off track during Saturday’s Sprint Race dropped him to P20 after he initially crossed the line in P19.
His struggles continued on Sunday, as a technical issue prevented him from even taking the start of the Feature Race. Since Barcelona, Stenshorne has found it difficult to replicate the pace and consistency he displayed at the beginning of the 2026 season. With the campaign now reaching its halfway point, the Rodin driver will be aiming to rediscover his early-season form and return to the front.
Gabriele Minì
Although Minì secured another double-points finish at the 2026 F2 British GP, the weekend represented a significant setback in the championship battle, as he lost the lead to Tsolov. The Italian was also left to rue a last-lap defeat in Saturday’s Sprint Race, where he lost victory to the Bulgarian after what he described as a “stupid mistake”.
While Minì salvaged a P6 finish in Sunday’s Feature Race, his weekend was compromised by a difficult Qualifying session that left him starting P10 and further down the order compared to his main championship rivals. Now 2nd in the Drivers’ Standings with 124 points, the Italian’s lack of one-lap pace compared to Tsolov, Câmara and Alex Dunne has become increasingly evident.
With only one Feature Race victory in 2026, Minì’s championship challenge has largely been built on his consistency. As the season progresses, that consistency could prove to be his biggest strength—but without more race wins, it could also become a weakness in the fight for the title.
