Nikola Tsolov, the Bulgarian lion and now Red Bull academy driver, has had a pretty stellar career up until now.
He has showcased nothing but great efforts, winning multiple races and showcasing his abilities both on and off track with fan engagement and three wins.
He has worked hard to keep a brand image throughout the years and is a part of the A14 Management (Fernando Alonso’s Management) to continue his racing journey.
One of the most outstanding deals he recently signed was to join the Red Bull Racing Junior Driving Programme.
Previously a part of the Alpine’s driver program alongside drivers Gabriele Minì and Sophia Flörsch, Tsolov sported the colors on all his podiums in the FIA Formula 3 Championship and was constantly featured on their instagram page.
It saw a huge increase or rather rise in both his fan following and career trajectory throughout the year.
All of this ultimately led to his move to one of the top junior driver programs in the industry, ORBR driving academy.
This switch from Alpine to Red Bull Racing, did come as a shock to many people, but in a way it did make sense for Tsolov.
He also decided to join Campos Racing for 2025, leaving another French Racing Team — ART GP.
To make these changes for the upcoming championship meant that he was getting a fresh new canvas to work on.
Red Bull Racing’s Driver Academy has seen a variety of drivers reach Formula 1 from Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr. to more recent entrants such as Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.
It definitely has worked for multiple drivers and their different avatars but the question is, would it work for Tsolov?
As of now the answer is yes, and here’s why.
Tsolov has had a good karting career, starting off in the 2016 Bulgarian Republic Championship – Mini, placing first in the series for two consecutive years.
This win led him to a larger international platform. He continued karting from 2018-2021, in competitive Italian and Euro series scoring consistently within the top 20 and getting a top 3 in the championship once in while.
He had his debut in racing with the 2022 F4 Spanish Championship with Campos Racing and placed 1st overall, giving him a great boost as a rookie.
The Bulgarian then took part in the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship and debuted in FIA Formula 3 Championship – placing 22nd in the series championship with ART.
However, at the same time, he took part in the Eurocup-3 with the GRS Team, taking part in 4 races and placing 10th.
This year, Tsolov placed 11th in the 2024 championship, winning 3 races but couldn’t take part in Spa due to F3 rules clashing with his race week at Spa in Eurocup-3.
One of his greatest achievements was placing P1 in Monaco which is considered one of the most prestigious tracks in the Grand Prix calendar.
Currently, he is racing with the GRS team in the Eurocup-3 and has accumulated 20 points up until now.
He took part in the FIA F3 Jerez Post-season testing and recorded the fastest lap time over the weekend even though he only raced for Campos on Sunday.
All these titles and consistent hard work, earned him a seat with ORBR’s driver academy, but now comes the hard part, having a constant rise in career trajectory and keeping this ‘seat’ at the academy.
Red Bull is constantly looking for the next Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, which means one must be winning almost all the races or atleast come in the top 5 of the Championship, while moving forward in the feeder series.
If Tsolov doesn’t manage to bring outstanding results with Campos in the 2025 championship, he could lose his spot in the academy.
This has happened with many drivers, for example F3 driver Noel Léon was a part of the ORBR driver academy before being dropped the subsequent year.
Like mentioned before, 2025 is a crucial year for the F3 driver, as his result could either get him a seat in Formula 2 once and for all, or make him lose his Red Bull academy seat.
So while the fresh canvas for the 2025 championship and shifting to one of the front-field teams in Formula One is a great idea, it does bring some added pressure. However that is guaranteed in whatever driver academy Tsolov could join.
Nikola Tsolov is a perfect fit for Red Bull Racing as these few years are and will be his peak.
