Noel León has enjoyed an impressive first Formula 2 (F2) campaign with Campos Racing, establishing himself as a regular contender at the front while continuing to adapt to the demands of racing higher up the order.
The Mexican has experienced both highs and setbacks throughout the 2026 season, but his pace and performances have given him plenty of confidence heading into the remaining rounds. After a difficult 2025 campaign, León has rediscovered his form with Campos and put himself back into contention near the top of the championship.
Alongside his ambitions in F2, León is also looking further ahead. The 21-year-old wants his performances to attract attention from the Formula 1 (F1) paddock and knows he must continue producing strong results if he wants to remain on the radar.
León pleased with his rookie F2 campaign
León believes his opening months in F2 have demonstrated what he can achieve, even if several missed opportunities have prevented him from maximising his results with Campos Racing. He has shown the speed required to compete at the front and believes his work with Campos Racing has played an important role in allowing him to demonstrate his potential. However, León also identified Sundays as one of the areas in which he and the team have occasionally left results on the table, with the Red Bull Ring standing out as a particularly frustrating example.
“It’s been a very good first half of the season. I was dealing with a lot of ups and downs, but very good ups. But in general, I’m pretty happy with my rookie season. The positive is that I’ve been able to show how strong I am, doing pole positions, wins, fastest laps in races. The pace that I’ve been having with the team has been amazing. The bad ones are that we have not always been able to maximise Sundays, especially at the Red Bull Ring. I started P1 and finished P7, so that was a hard one for me to lose.”
Campos believes León has had even more potential
Campos Racing Team Principal Adrián Campos has also recognised León’s performances in F2, although he believes the Mexican could have achieved even stronger results. Following León’s victory, Campos suggested that his driver had the speed to qualify further towards the front of the grid and should have been in contention for pole position.
“It’s good that Noel won yesterday, but to be honest, he shouldn’t have won because he should have been starting further in the front today. He deserved to be fighting for pole on Friday.”
The comments underline the expectations Campos has placed on León during his rookie campaign. Rather than simply viewing strong points finishes or occasional victories as a success, the team believes he has the pace to consistently challenge at the sharp end of the field.
Difficult 2025 campaign changed León’s perspective
León’s performances in 2026 represent a significant turnaround from the challenges he faced one year earlier in Formula 3 (F3). He entered his previous campaign expecting to fight for the championship after joining a team capable of winning the title. Instead, he found himself battling much further down the order than anticipated. That experience proved particularly demanding mentally, with León having to adjust his expectations quickly after beginning the year convinced that he could regularly fight for victories.
“It’s a big change to be honest. Last year many people including myself felt I was in the position where I was going to fight for the championship and then at the end I was struggling to get points. So it was a very difficult one. Mentally, I was not prepared for that after making a big jump to a championship-winning team for my second year. I felt I was going to win every race. But it was not even possible to think about that after just the first race. I then got a very nice opportunity with Campos, so I am very thankful for them, with all my sponsors as well for the help to get this chance.”
The move to Campos and F2 has therefore offered León an opportunity to reset and prove himself at the next stage of his career. Rather than allowing the difficulties of the previous season to define his progression, he has used the experience to strengthen his approach.
Tsolov providing a benchmark at Campos
León has also had to learn how to approach races differently now that he regularly finds himself competing towards the front. His Campos team-mate Nikola Tsolov has provided an important benchmark throughout the season. León believes their outright pace has been closely matched but acknowledged that Tsolov initially held an advantage over León when it came to extracting the maximum performance of the Campos Racing car while fighting at the front of the F2 grid. After spending significant periods battling lower down the order previously, León had to adapt his decision-making and approach to racing in leading positions.
“I think compared to Nikola, where I was mainly missing at the beginning of the season was that at the front you race different. At the front you need to think different, you need to do different things. I was not used to it because I was used to be fighting for P15, P20. So it’s very difficult, because it’s very different. So I think at the beginning of the season, that was the main thing, that he was able to extract performance better. The pace was very similar, but just in terms of how to extract it, he was able to do it better. It was difficult. It’s good to have a teammate like this, that is doing good, so you know where to learn and where to go forward.”
Rather than viewing Tsolov’s F2 performances solely as competition, León sees the advantage of having a strong reference alongside him at Camopos Racing. It gives him the opportunity to identify where he can improve as he continues developing during his rookie season.
León determined to put himself on the F1 radar
León entered the latter stages before the summer break determined to change the direction of his season and build momentum for the remaining rounds. His ambitions, however, extend beyond simply finishing the F2 season strongly. León wants to make sure F1 teams are aware of what he can do, and he knows that attracting their attention requires sustained performances rather than a late surge. He believes the confidence Campos has given him can help provide the platform he needs to achieve that goal.
As I said before the weekend, this was going to be the weekend that we turn around things and we keep moving forward. There’s still a long season ahead. I think everybody felt like the season was going to end in two weeks before the summer break, but there’s still a long season ahead. Obviously, I want to be on the map for everyone in the Formula 1 paddock. But to be on the map for everyone you cannot wait until the last race. You need to already be in their thoughts and already on the radar. I want to be there. I know what I need to do to be on the radar. That’s why I’m pushing myself and pushing the team to be there. I’m very confident with the team and this is also giving me confidence to be on the radar for Formula 1.”
León therefore has two objectives for the remainder of the campaign. He wants to continue challenging at the front in F2 while ensuring those performances strengthen his case for opportunities further up the single-seater ladder.
Enjoyment returns as León fights at the front
Beyond results and future ambitions, León has rediscovered the enjoyment that comes with competing for victories and championship positions. His difficult previous campaign gave him a contrasting experience, making his return to regular battles near the front particularly significant. Although León admitted racing becomes less enjoyable when podiums and victories are out of reach, he believes Campos has put both himself and the wider team in a strong position.
“Obviously, when we are not fighting for the podium or for P1, it’s not as enjoyable. But it’s been a very good season, to be honest, to be back on the fight for a championship, to be there in the top five, not far from top three. At the beginning of the season we had great pace, so obviously Campos is helping a lot and I’m in a very good position with them. The team is also in a very good position, so everything is very nice, very enjoyable. I’m having a good time, to be honest.”
With confidence restored and his performances putting him firmly in the fight at the front, León now has the opportunity to turn an encouraging rookie campaign into an even stronger finish. At the same time, every result gives him another chance to achieve his wider objective of making sure F1 is watching.
