Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov delivered a faultless drive from P5 to win the sprint race at the Bahrain GP. The Bulgarian driver put up a tough fight against impressive debutant Freddie Slater to snatch his first win of the season.
During the Post-Sprint Press Conference attended by Pit Debrief, the 18-year-old reflected on the physically demanding race for the drivers and how he handled the pressure of having Slater in his mirrors.
“It was definitely a lot under the pressure from Freddie. I think I had to push a lot to make up from where I started in the beginning, which compromised my run in the end. But still, I’m pretty happy.”
“I think it was really hard in terms of physical conditions. I was way too hot. But I managed to hold on, and the safety cars made us cool down a little bit during the run. So I’m pretty happy.”
Finishing ahead of Slater and ART GP’s Tukka Taponen, Tsolov capitalized on his wealth of F3 experience to secure success. He once again proved why he’s a driver to watch this season. Giving credit where it was due, Tsolov praised Slater’s impressive defence and emphasized the importance of getting into clean air to control the sprint race.
“Yeah, I think it was more complicated than overtaking the others. Freddie was defending really well, making some switchback moves, which made my life more difficult. And then I was trying to commit, trying to get in front, as I think clean air was going to help me a bit. And finally made it stick after a few tries. But it’s what matters in the end.”
Under of tyre degradation will be carried into tomorrow
Tyre degradation has been a major talking point across both feeder series this weekend. Despite in-season testing taking place at the same circuit just two weeks ago, conditions have changed drastically. Campos’ Tsolov admitted the team hadn’t anticipated the level of tyre wear they experienced. Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, he expects similar degradation to play a key role once again.
“So much, because there was more [degradation] than we expected. Obviously, it was really hot. But still, it was over-exaggerated.”
“Looking at the temps tomorrow, it should be a little bit cooler, but probably about the same. We do more laps. If there were no safety cars, I think it would be a long, long race. So I think we should expect pretty similar for tomorrow and then try and see how we can improve.”
Having been quick to report tyre wear during the early stages of Saturday’s Sprint Race, Tsolov was asked how drivers could manage their tyres during Sunday’s longer Feature Race. He explained there was not much they could do apart from preserving them as much as possible.
“I think the pressures… everyone had the same [pressures]. So we couldn’t go any lower, and that made it really difficult. I think just from lap two, I was already struggling with the rears. So I knew that it was going to be a long race, so I just tried to save them as much as possible.
“Then the [degradation] went forward. I was struggling with fronts at some point on braking, and it was just a mess, a little bit of [degradation] everywhere, which made life difficult. I think pretty similar for everyone, probably more for some, less for others. So it was interesting in the end to see how it was going to play out.”
Eventful last two laps after safety car restart
In response to a question asked by Pit Debrief about how he approached the final two laps following the safety car, Tsolov stated that he had had higher expectations for his restart but was happy with the grip he managed to find heading into T1.
“Yeah, for me, I expected my restart to be better. I wanted to surprise Freddie, but he reacted pretty well. So that didn’t open a gap at all and made my life more difficult coming into T1.”
“And honestly, for a second, I thought that was it, but I felt the grip in T1 we had after the safety car, the tyres recovered so much. So that helped me keep my pace a little bit stronger than what I thought and saved my first place.”
Driving approach and plans changed
Despite his strong performance, Tsolov admitted that his approach to the race had been spontaneous. he explained that the decision to attack early had been spontaneous, as he believed that waiting longer would have compromised his race.
“Sure, I didn’t really have a clear plan. Although, of course, in the first few laps, I had to save tyres. But then I saw the people around me were slower than me, even though I was saving. So me and my engineer decided during the race that it’s time to make up some places if it doesn’t hurt my race a lot.”
Tsolov added: “But I think overtaking and defending and just going offline was killing the tyres a lot. So although I managed in the beginning, these overtakes killed them a lot and that’s why I struggled in the end. I think that’s the main reason.”
A team effort into achieving the win today
Tsolov is no stranger to the Campos family. After winning the Spanish F4 title with the team, he moved to ART Grand Prix for his rookie and second seasons in F3. His 2025 campaign marks a return to familiar ground with the Spanish outfit.
When asked about the key to his success, Tsolov credited his strong relationship with his race engineer. He highlighted their previous experience together and the close bond they’ve built, which has helped create a highly effective working dynamic.
“Yeah, for me, I think it was a little bit different because I have a close relationship with my engineer. We worked together a few years ago in F4 so ever then, we’ve been quite close as friends.”
“So I like him to get quite involved and we actually think about topics and decisions together, which I think helps a lot because the more the better, you kind of just maximise everything. So I like someone to tell me information every lap. Otherwise, I just get too focused and black out.”
Learnings from testing has not been utilised
Like most drivers, Tsolov benefited from three days of in-season testing in Bahrain. Despite setting the pace on the first day, however, he believes that the conditions during the Sprint were not representative of these that the drivers had faced during testing. He added that the Sprint Race had served as a valuable learning experience, as little data from testing was carried over into the Bahrain GP weekend.
“There was not much from testing that came into the race, that we’ve found out it was working. The track changed so much. FP was really far off and then the race was too hot. So then comparing to testing was completely the opposite.”
“So I think it was just a bit of a surprise for everyone. And I think doing the race today was really important, just to know what to expect for next time if that happens and what to expect for tomorrow as well in the race again. So it’s mostly a few things in the setup, but we haven’t been transferring a lot from the test into the race actually.”
Flying the Bulgarian flag proudly in motorsport
Following his fourth career win, Tsolov has made his mark in the F3 record books. The Bulgarian driver joins the ranks of Frederick Vesti, Arvid Lindblad, Dennis Hauger, Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto and Zak O’Sullivan with the most number of race wins in F3.
Tsolov expressed his pride in paving the way for upcoming Bulgarian talent in motorsport. Hoping his journey inspires the next generation, he hopes to bring the country closer to seeing its first-ever Formula 1 driver.
“No one from Bulgaria has been doing stuff like that and coming to a level like this. Probably most people think it’s impossible, but everything is possible as long as you work hard.”
“And now I see a lot of more Bulgarian drivers coming up in motorsport in general. So I’m really happy to see that and I hope I keep giving good example and motivating young kids. I really enjoy doing that and seeing all the support from back at home. So yeah, let’s see if there could be a Formula One Bulgarian driver one day.”
Settling into the new generation of F3 cars
In 2025, FIA Formula 3 ushered in a new era with an updated car. While its core philosophy remains largely unchanged, Tsolov noted that the latest machinery demands a different approach for both qualifying and race runs. Despite the adjustments, the Bulgarian driver has adapted quickly.
“The new car is completely different to the old one, and it didn’t take much for me to adapt, but it’s definitely a different approach for both performance runs and race runs. I think it is quite different, mostly probably because of the heat compared to last year and the year before, but the track ultimately is the same, so it didn’t change that much in terms of layout.”
Despite starting Sunday’s Feature Race from P8, Tsolov hopes to end his weekend on a similarly high note.
