Photo: Red Bull
Nikola Tsolov will make an earlier than scheduled step up to Formula 2 with Campos Racing, joining the team for the last two rounds of the 2025 season.
The Bulgarian was announced by the team two months ago as joining its line-up for the 2026 campaign, after racing for them in the FIA Formula 3 Championship this year.
He will now make his F2 debut at Losail in a few weeks’ time on November 28-30, taking over the car previously driven by Formula E-bound Pepe Marti, and also race in the season finale at Yas Marina Circuit the week after.
“It’s a pleasant surprise to be making my F2 debut already this year for the final two rounds!” said Tsolov.
“I’m very grateful to Campos Racing and Red Bull for their trust and for giving me this opportunity. I’ve been working extremely hard and feel ready to take this step. I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible and gaining valuable experience ahead of 2026.”
Tsolov spent three years in F3, and his first two were with ART Grand Prix. He came 22nd and 11th in the standings in those two campaigns, winning three races in the second one but missing a round, and with Campos he was championship runner-up this season. The 18-year-old won twice, had four other podium finishes and three poles.
“First of all, I would like to thank Pepe for all these years together since he made his debut with us in F4 Spain and later in FIA F3 and F2,” Campos’s team principal Adrian Campos Jr said.
“We’ve shared incredible moments, a great number of victories and podiums side by side, and on behalf of everyone at Campos Racing, I wish him all the best for the future. For Nikola, this represents a fantastic opportunity to begin his adaptation to the category—and to do so in real race conditions. We are already working hard with him so that he arrives as well prepared as possible for Losail, which will be his first outing in an F2 car.”
Tsolov became a Red Bull junior this year, and replaces Marti who is also a protege of the Formula 1 team-owning Austrian energy drinks firm.
Three weeks ago, the Cupra-partnered Kiro Race Co. team (formerly known as ERT) announced it had signed Marti as one of its drivers for the 2025-26 FE season. That move immediately made Marti unavailable for the F2 finale, since it is on the same date as FE’s season-opening Sao Paulo E-Prix. The preparations for his FE debut then also ruled him out of racing at Losail.