The 2025 F3 season marks Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov’s third year in the series. After two seasons with ART GP, 2025 marked his return to the Spanish-suit. In the past, the Bulgarian driver has found success with Campos. Additionally, with the team, Tsolov made his single-seater debut in 2022 in the F4 Spanish Championship where he went on to dominate that year—securing the championship with 13 wins and 400 points to his name.
Climbing up the ranks, Tsolov has struggled to put momentum with consistency together. However, since returning to Campos, the Bulgarian driver has found his way to success once again. The 18 year-old is under the guidance of two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso’s A14 management team. Once an Alpine Academy Junior, Tsolov would then announce his departure from the Enstone team at the end of 2024. However, Tsolov would come bearing with good news for his fans that he had joined the Red Bull Junior Team ahead of his third F3 campaign.
After two mediocre F3 seasons with ART GP—finishing P22 and P11 in the championship—Tsolov has worked his way to the top, putting himself in a strong position to challenge Trident’s Rafael Câmara for the championship. Currently P2 in the Driver Standings with 79 points to his name, we take a look at his season thus far.
Shocking start to third season
The Bulgarian’s start to his 2025 campaign was underwhelming to say the least. After a sub-par qualifying where he finished P16, Tsolov didn’t get the return he hoped for in Melbourne. During the Sprint Race, the Bulgarian driver managed to gain 8 positions and crossed the line P8 to claim some points. With eyes on more points, Sunday’s Feature Race would end in disaster for Tsolov. Subsequently, a few laps into the wet race, the Bulgarian driver collided with Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin, forcing both into an early retirement from the race.
With three points and a retirement behind him, Tsolov had definitely hoped for better. Following the season-opener in Melbourne, in-season testing took place in Bahrain where the Bulgarian managed to find his way to the top of the timings on the first day. Tsolov’s strong pace during in-season testing gave us a glimpse of the results he could achieve in the second round in Bahrain.
Etches name in F3 history books in Bahrain
The 18 year-old delivered in Bahrain, making a huge step forward and joining an elite group of drivers tied for a remarkable record. Compared to Melbourne, Tsolov managed to deliver a better qualifying as he finished P8. Lining up P5 for what was an intensely hot Sprint Race, the Bulgarian driver found his way through the field. Claiming his spot on the top step of the podium, Tsolov crossed the line victorious to secure his fourth F3 career win. The Bulgarian stuck some impressive overtakes and was fully deserving of the race win.
Tsolov’s fourth career win meant he joined the ranks of Frederick Vesti, Arvid Lindblad, Dennis Hauger, Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto and Zak O’Sullivan with the most number of race wins, at that point in time. Furthermore, Tsolov would finish P5 during the Feature Race on Sunday—walking away from the weekend with 20 points.
The 18 year-old drove like a seasoned veteran throughout the Bahrain GP weekend, delivering the kind of performance everyone had expected from him.
A European triple-header marked by ample success
One could say Tsolov emerged from the European triple-header as one of the most impressive drivers, as he claimed a podium every round. Tsolov managed to qualify P9, which meant he lined up on the second-row in P4 for the Sprint Race. The 18 year-old delivered a calm and composed drive to claim his spot on the podium in P3. In the Feature Race, Tsolov kept his driving clean and crossed the line in P9—where he started—to secure more valuable points to his campaign.
Moving forward, the fourth round in Monaco launched Tsolov near the top of the Driver Standings, as he emerged as a strong challenger to Câmara. The Bulgarian delivered a dominant qualifying performance to claim his first pole position in the series. Despite a tough Sprint Race where he dropped down the order early, Tsolov was out in front and in control during his triumphant Feature Race win. This victory marked his fifth career win. This meant, Tsolov became the most successful driver in the championship’s history.
In Barcelona, Tsolov claimed back-to-back front row starts by qualifying P2. Starting P11 for the Sprint Race, the Bulgarian capitalised on the chaos ahead to secure a P3 finish—his fourth podium of the year. In the Feature Race, a slow launch off the line dropped him down the order, but managed to recover well to finish P5 though better results were definitely possible.
Will Tsolov be able to bring the fight to Rafael Câmara?
Tsolov’s advantage to his competitors comes from a wealthy amount of experience in the series. As one of two drivers returning for a third F3 season, Tsolov would hope its third time lucky for him in 2025. Currently P2 in the Driver Standings, the 18 year-old faces a 26 point deficit to an extremely consistent Câmara. As five rounds remain, lots of point-scoring opportunities remain with enough time for Tsolov to emerge on top.
In order to bring the fight to Câmara, the Bulgarian driver will need to remain consistent and stay out of trouble. Up next, F3 is back racing this week in Austria from 27th to 29th June.
