Ranked third in the Drivers’ Championship and a strong contender for the title, following his recent Monaco victory, Tsolov delivered a confident F3 Qualifying performance in Barcelona. The Campos Racing driver secured P2, putting himself in prime contention for another victory.
Qualifying struggles sorted
Qualifying has been a persistent challenge for the Bulgarian so far this season, making his front-row result in Barcelona a significant breakthrough. Tsolov expressed relief and renewed confidence, noting that he and his team have finally resolved the issues that had previously held them back.
“Yeah, it’s a good way to end it. But I have to say we haven’t been really strong, particularly most of the laps until the end.”
“Before the weekend, I thought we were going to be really strong. But then things obviously change, and we haven’t been finding what we need until the last set where we did. I did. I did something really different. So I’m glad it worked out, to be honest. So right now, we know what to focus on for the future because definitely Quali has been a weak point for us. Monaco was pole, but it was obviously a different track. It’s a bit different to a normal one. So, I’m happy we have found what we need for the rest of the season.”
Tsolove unbothered by lost of first lap time
Despite the positive result, the Bulgarian Lion’s Qualifying did not get off to a positive start. After having his first flying lap deleted for exceeding track limits, Tsolov was forced to regroup and deliver again. Despite the deletion, he said he would have attempted another run regardless, as his initial effort lacked pace.
“Business as usual,” he said when asked for his thoughts on the matter. “I mean, to be honest, first set doesn’t really matter so much unless there’s a red flag. And I went off in my lap anyway. So I went off in a bad place. So it was a slow lap, so it didn’t change much to me.”
Eyeing the win – and the title
Following his commanding win in Monaco, Tsolov now sets his sights on victory in Barcelona. However, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya presents limited overtaking opportunities, and the Campos driver acknowledged that passing his Trident rival may prove difficult.
“Yeah, although it might be a bit easier, it’s still on the difficult side to overtake here. I think race pace has been really strong for me all the year. But I just don’t think it’s enough if Rafa [Câmara] does a good job. So, we’ll have to think of other ways to try and attack and see what we can pick up in the end.”
With fellow title contender Tim Tramnitz starting further back, Tsolov sees Câmara as his immediate rival for the championship lead.
“At the moment, it’s probably with him, the championship fight, as Tim [Tramnitz] is a little bit further back. So let’s see what we can do.”
Barcelona specific characteristics
However, Tsolov will have to consider certain characteristics of the Spanish circuit if he wants to maximise his performance over the F3 Barcelona weekend. Tyre wear is expected to be a major factor in the Barcelona races, particularly with the intense heat and the limited track time drivers receive prior to the feature race. Tsolov noted the challenge of gauging degradation based on the current format, but remains optimistic.
“Yeah, just like Rafa said, from one lap pushes, it’s quite hard to know what the deg is going to be like. But we can expect a pretty high one, I think, from previous years. And then just the reason, well, it’s really hot, so it’s going to be tough with overheating.”
“But I’m not worried about that,” he added.
Strategic communication vital for success
Tsolov also highlighted the importance of clear communication between driver and team, particularly during a session as critical as qualifying. Small details, he stressed, can have a significant impact on performance.
“Yeah, you said it’s a little thing, but for me, it was the most important thing in this quali[fying]. And the fact that for me, the warmup was not great for the first two sets, just because I was having traffic, having to wait behind all the cars. And that was compromising my run in general.”
“So yeah, we fixed it in the end, which was a decision we made. So, I was the first car running, the first car starting my push, which is obviously a bit risky because you can catch the last cars of the group. But I think the closest one was actually Rafa [Câmara]. He was pretty nice to start pushing in front of me and actually gave me a tow down the line. So it worked out good.“
Looking ahead
With his Qualifying issues addressed and his confidence restored, Nikola Tsolov heads into the Barcelona races focused and prepared. As the title fight intensifies, the Bulgarian will look to make every opportunity count in what promises to be a pivotal weekend in the championship battle
