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Nikola Tsolov spoke to FormulaNerds, following the F3 practice session at Silverstone, about what he needs this weekend to perform well in the mixed weather conditions.
Formula 3 returned to track this weekend for Round 7 of the championship. So far, there have been 10 different race winners in the junior category. However, only three drivers have stood on the top step of podium twice.
The first two are Luke Browning, the current championship leader, and PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad. Browning has won two feature races whilst Lindblad has won a sprint race and feature race. The third driver, Nikola Tsolov, has won two sprint races, but has yet to win a feature race.
Tsolov stood on the top step of the podium in the Monaco Sprint Race and in the most recent round at Spielberg. The ART Grand Prix driver currently sits 10th in the championship with 44 points.
Unfortunately, though, Tsolov has yet to take victory on a Sunday. However, going into the British Grand Prix weekend, after F3’s free practice session, Tsolov feels “confident”.
‘Trying to fight for feature race podiums’
In the first F3 session of the weekend, the Bulgarian driver finished in third with a time just 0.397 seconds behind Max Esterson, who was fastest. FormulaNerds spoke to Tsolov following practice about how he’s feeling ahead of the weekend, to which he admitted that this season hasn’t gone quite to plan so far, but he’s looking to rectify that.
Tsolov told FormulaNerds: “Well, it’s turned out definitely quite difficult and not as we expected.
“But recently we’ve been making quite a lot of progress and getting better every weekend, scoring both races last time out.
“So, I think pretty confident coming into this race, so just surely trying to fight for feature race podiums and wins now.”
The ART Grand Prix driver also touched on the mixed weather conditions of the weekend. The practice session did see some rain with lots of the drivers opting to not use the slick tyres, but for Tsolov, he enjoys the wet weather.
A tricky session in the wet at Silverstone ☔️#F3 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/sfRfzHCuLc
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) July 5, 2024
Tsolov admitted that for him, it “makes the whole thing more exciting”, but luck does come into play. He continued saying:
“Personally, as a driver, I don’t have anything against it. I think I’m able to adapt to the conditions quite well, but sometimes it’s a bit about luck, choosing which tyre to put on at the right moment sometimes in the race.
“We just need a bit of luck, bit of performance and everything to put it together.”
Qualifying around Silverstone for F3 is later on this afternoon. After a strong practice session, Tsolov could build on his performance to put him in a good position for the races.
Headline image: Formula Motorsport Limited