Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov heads into the 2026 F2 Miami GP with confidence and high ambitions, as the Bulgarian aims to maintain his lead in the Drivers’ Standings. With F2 set for its North American debut this weekend, the championship will tackle two new venues back-to-back—first in Miami, then Montreal in a few weeks—following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds.
Heading into the weekend, Tsolov’s Feature Race victory in Melbourne has given him a seven point advantage over reigning Formula 3 Champion Rafael Câmara. Speaking in Thursday’s virtual media session, the 19 year-old spoke to Pit Debrief and other media outlets about his preparations, the expected challenges, and his excitement to return to racing after an almost two-month break.
The entire field starts from scratch
For the first time since 2024, the F2 calendar sees drivers tackle a new venue. However, this often comes with its own challenges as teams head into the weekend with no prior data and plenty of unknowns.
When asked by Pit Debrief whether racing at a new track presents an opportunity to gain an edge, Tsolov explained that thorough simulator preparation and rewatching past F1 races have given him the confidence to embrace the challenge ahead.
Tsolov said: “Obviously for me it’s very exciting to have a new track on the calendar and obviously we all start from zero, which is quite good for me as a rookie. I believe I’ve prepared quite well on the sim. Obviously, some work of the preparation comes from F1 as well, watching what they’ve done over the past few years in this track.”
“And yeah, it seems like an exciting new challenge which I’m ready to take on and just can’t wait to get it started already after the break.”
Tsolov: Aim is to now be consistent
As the 2026 F2 season unfolds, Tsolov’s opening-round victory has put him in a strong position. Now leading the championship, the Bulgarian admits the strong start has boosted his confidence, though he did not expect success to come so early. While he recognised the importance of consistency to maintain his lead, tackling a new track this weekend will not change his mindset or approach.
“Obviously it gives good confidence, a really good start for me of the year. Obviously, to be fully honest, I wasn’t expecting to be leading that early on. So for me, it’s now just trying to keep it consistent, trying to maintain what we’ve been doing.”
“Obviously, it’s been working, which is probably the most important thing to know. And yeah, keep it up for the rest of the year, coming into a new track. Like Joshua [Dürksen] said, I wouldn’t say it changes completely the situation.”
He added: “I think we’re all prepared for stuff like that to happen. So yeah, just looking to keep going and get the season started, actually.”
The unique challenges of Miami
Most of the grid have raced on permanent tracks at European circuits for most of their junior careers. While Miami presents a new and exciting challenge, Tsolov said: “Yeah, it’s comparable to a few. I would say the challenges are the fact that there’s both high and low speed corners. So there needs to be a middle point of setting up the car and figuring out how it should go fastest.”
“I think the first sector is really high speed and then going into a really, really slow section is quite tough. The walls are really close. I would compare it to kind of a street track. It’s not too far from Melbourne in terms of asphalt. So, definitely warm-up is expected to be a little difficult, although it’s pretty warm out here.”
For Miami, Pirelli has chosen to feature a step in tyre compounds with the Supersoft and Mediums. With limited running in free practice ahead of qualifying, Tsolov explained that his approach this weekend will likely focus on putting together a clean lap rather than chasing for perfection.
“And yeah, the challenges are definitely trying to get a clean and nice lap, just because we don’t really know the track that much and probably won’t get super much running in practice. So for me, it’s probably going to be more about just putting a decent lap together rather than going for the perfect one.”
Preparations for Miami following its late addition to 2026 F2 calendar
Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2026 F2 calendar were originally set to take place in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia before both events were cancelled. As a result, F2 turned to other options as a replacement. While alternative venues were considered, Miami and Montreal were ultimately selected as they have previously hosted support categories successfully, such as F1 Academy.
When asked how drivers have prepared for the weekend on such short notice, the Bulgarian explained: “Yeah, for me, obviously, you would say it’s a short notice. But then when you head into the season, between every round, there’s about two, three days to prepare the next circuit.”
“So I think we’re quite used to trying to prepare fast and getting on board. I think we’ve actually had quite a bit of time to prepare this one.”
Although the lack of past experience at the circuit will certainly be a factor, Tsolov believes drivers will inevitably feel some lack of confidence on their first push lap. However, he noted that given the level of professionalism in the paddock, adapting to the circuit should not be an issue.
He added: “And I think it’s always going to be difficult to have the full confidence on how to attack on the first push in practice, just because there hasn’t been any running in F2 here before. So references such as breaking points, etc., you can kind of imply from the sim, but you never know what the grip is going to be like.”
“So obviously, I would expect most people to take margin in the first couple of laps, as the walls are close as well, it’s easy to crash. But apart from that, we’re all pretty high level in F2, and we should have the confidence to get on that quickly.”
Proudly flying the Bulgarian flag
The 19 year-old continues to be part of a broader movement that has helped grow the popularity of motorsport in Bulgaria. With his Feature Race victory in Melbourne, Tsolov became the first Bulgarian to stand on the top step of the podium in F2.
When asked what it means to carry his nation’s flag at the top level of motorsport, he said: “Yeah, obviously it means a lot to me. The sport has been growing a lot in Bulgaria since I’ve started and I’ve kind of created a path for the younger generations as well to come through. Kind of up to now, obviously. And I’m looking forward to seeing it grow even more.”
“I see more kids starting to do karting in the country and obviously sport growing, which is always nice to see. And I really feel the support, just maybe because I’m the only one, but all the comment sections and every time all my support is being viewed for me.”
Tsolov: “I think we’re always ready and prepare to do anything to race”
The forecast suggests rain will hover over the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday. When asked how they have factored into their preparation—and whether they would prefer to avoid a wet race—he said: “Yeah, we’ve just been looking at that, and it’s changing every day, the hour of the thunderstorm. So, for sure it’s going to happen, but let’s see at what time.”
“I think if it’s a thunderstorm, it will be difficult to race around here. I’ve seen a few videos and replays. I think Charles [Leclerc] crashed going to the grid or something on the sprint race a couple of years ago.”
“There’s a lot of aquaplaning, so it’s probably not the easiest track in the wet. But it’s about time and seeing what’s going to happen on Sunday. But obviously, if they call it a race, they call it a race. So as drivers, I think we’re always ready and prepared to do anything to race.”
