The rise of the Bulgarian Lion: how a rookie took hold of Formula 2

No Bulgarian had ever won a Formula 2 race before March 2026. By midsummer, one had won six.

Nikola Tsolov arrived in Formula 2 with a junior CV that demanded attention — Spanish F4 champion at fifteen with thirteen wins in a season, a record five Feature Race wins in Formula 3, vice-champion in 2025 — but rookies are supposed to learn Formula 2, not lead it.

Melbourne set the tone: a Feature Race win in his second-ever F2 start, and history as Bulgaria's first winner at this level. Miami brought a Sprint win and a hard lesson in the Feature. Then came the run — Monaco, Spielberg, Silverstone twice — that no driver in the championship's history had put together before.

Behind the results sits the machinery of a career built deliberately: the Red Bull Junior Team's backing, Campos Racing's race-winning operation, and a family that has kept the project grounded in Sofia even as the paddock's attention has grown.

Seven rounds remain. The gap at the top of the standings is real but not decisive, and the superlicence points that unlock Formula 1 are within reach. Whatever happens next, 2026 has already changed what a Bulgarian racing driver can be.