Nikola Tsolov shrugged off a tricky start to his F2 debut weekend at the Qatar GP to deliver when it counted in Qualifying. After a tough 45-minute Free Practice left him only 18th, the Bulgarian regrouped with his team and found the pace he had been missing. In the decisive session he steadily climbed the order and, late on, he hooked up a strong lap of 1:36.764. That effort put him seventh on the grid and left him satisfied to have turned a difficult opening into a promising platform for the rest of the weekend.
Tsolov turns a tough start into a confident P7 on debut F2 Qualifying at the Qatar GP
Tsolov admitted the turnaround felt especially sweet after a bruising start to the day, when the car had felt awkward on the hard tyre and grip seemed almost non-existent. The balance had left him fighting just to keep it tidy in Free Practice, but he approached Qualifying convinced it would come to him. He built up lap by lap yet was initially unable to string his best sectors into one clean effort. Only at the end, when he told himself it was time to nail it, did everything finally click. Tsolov accepted that some time remained on the table, yet he treated seventh as a strong first step and a base to build from, taking quiet satisfaction from seeing his name in the fight.
“It feels good, especially after a tough FP. The car was a bit weird to get used too, with the Hard tyre there was no grip at all, and it was really difficult to drive.”
“In quali I knew everything would change and I was going to go step-by-step, but already in Lap 1, I was sending it. Then I was putting good sectors in but never putting it together, until the end, when I was like I need to put it all together.”
“That’s what happened and obviously there was a few tenths in it, but it’s a good first result and a good base to work from, so proud to see myself up there.”
New car, new track and a proud yet “mixed” P7
Jumping into an untested race car on a new circuit made the task even tougher. Lusail demanded commitment through almost constant high-speed corners, and the lack of mileage hurt him early on. Tsolov still pushed harder each lap during the F2 Qualifying of the Qatar GP and slowly found a rhythm. Towards the end of the session, he began to feel genuinely comfortable with both car and track. Seventh on the grid gave him real pride after such a rough Free Practice, even if his emotions stayed mixed about how to judge the result.
“It’s difficult when you have not tested the actual race car and don’t know the track at the same time, and it’s such a difficult track as well. It’s only high-speed corners, where you need a lot of confidence, so not knowing the car was a big play, but I think I committed and I was starting to get comfortable with it towards the end.”
“I am proud considering the FP we had, seventh is good, but I don’t know how to feel about it, it’s pretty mixed.”
Little start practice but calm approach into race day
Going into race day, Tsolov admitted he had no clear idea what to expect. He had only tried one practice start in the pitlane during Free Practice, far less time than many of his rivals. The lack of preparation still sat in the back of his mind, yet he backed himself to manage it. As long as he followed the procedure and kept calm when the lights went out, he felt the start would be under control.
“I don’t know what to expect for tomorrow honestly. I have only done a practice start in the pitlane in Free Practice, so it’s something I have not spent a lot of time doing compared to the others. But I should be alright. If I just follow the procedure, stay calm, then I should be okay.”
