Nikola Tsolov won the Silverstone sprint race on the final lap, and the move put him back where he wanted to be in the F2 standings. He passed Gabriele Minì late and turned a race that looked settled into his fifth career F2 win and second sprint victory of the season.
Silverstone Sprint Pace
“Yeah, the start was very good, almost stalled on the Formation lap.” Tsolov said that was the first test, then added that he was already third by Lap one. He settled in quickly after that and said getting Miyata was very important, because it let him move into position without burning everything too early.
From there, he kept the pressure low and the patience high. “We had a bit of a discussion about what to do for the race start.” he said. “We managed the right one and just stayed patient.” Tsolov also said he did not think about moving forward too much more after moving up, which fits the way he managed the late stages before closing on Minì.
Minì’s Last-Lap Mistake
The winning move came in T3 on the final lap after Tsolov had saved his tyres and reached the DRS phase at the right time. “That was a crucial point.” he said, then described Minì as still strong in straight-line speed: “It was very powerful today again, but it was very tough to pass him.”
Tsolov said he “didn’t expect for that to happen,” because the opening looked more controlled than decisive. Minì’s account showed why the pass opened up at all. “I just pushed a bit more in Turn one and then in T2 and I just arrived a bit too quick into the corners, and I locked up.” he said. “I missed the corner and that was just a stupid mistake.” He added that he had to manage the tyres quite a lot, which left him exposed when the race tightened late.
Campos Changes
The pace was not an accident on Tsolov’s side. He said the team made a big change to the car from yesterday to today and was not expecting to be as fast as they were, especially on the hard compound. That change mattered because it gave him enough grip and balance to stay close without forcing the issue before the final lap.
Rafael Villagómez appeared in third place from Van Amersfoort Racing in the same press conference, but the headline stayed with the two drivers at the front. Tsolov’s win also carried the weight of timing: it came in a race where he almost stalled on the formation lap, then ended up taking control only when the last-lap error from Minì created the opening. After the sprint, his target for The Feature Race was simple — finish in the top five.
