SAKHIR, Bahrain — Bulgaria’s Nikola Tsolov delivered a standout performance at the Sakhir Circuit on Saturday, seizing his first-ever victory in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship by triumphing in the sprint race of the season’s second round.
The Campos Racing driver started from fifth on the grid but quickly proved to be the man to beat, slicing through the field with determination and precision.
After dispatching France’s Alessandro Giusti early in the race, Tsolov wasted no time in overtaking Martinius Stenshorne on lap three, just before the safety car was deployed for the first time.
Undeterred by the interruption, Tsolov resumed his charge at the restart on lap six, immediately closing in on pole-sitter Joshua Dufek. He overtook the ART Grand Prix driver with a clean move to slot into second, setting his sights on race leader and F3 debutant Freddie Slater.
What followed was a thrilling duel at the front. Slater, racing for Prema Racing, defended valiantly, but Tsolov’s pace proved too much. At the beginning of lap 11, the Bulgarian made a decisive move to take the lead, and once ahead, he began pulling clear of the field.
However, a second safety car on lap 15 wiped away Tsolov’s hard-earned gap, bunching up the pack for a final sprint to the finish.
Slater stayed glued to the Campos car’s rear wing after the restart on lap 17, but Tsolov kept his composure under pressure, defending with maturity and confidence to cross the line in first place.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Tsolov after the race. “The team gave me a great car, and I knew I had to take my chances early. It wasn’t easy with two safety cars, but we managed it perfectly. This win means a lot.”
Freddie Slater, in just his second weekend in F3, impressed once again with a strong second-place finish. Finland’s Tuuka Taponen also shone, climbing to third after applying pressure on Slater in the latter stages before the final safety car neutralized the battle.
Callum Voisin and Martinius Stenshorne rounded out the top five, while Tim Tramnitz, Alessandro Giusti, Christian Ho, Charlie Wurz, and Noah Strømsted claimed the remaining points positions.
In the championship standings, Tsolov’s win lifts him to seventh overall with 13 points, narrowing the gap to leader Rafael Camara to just 17 points.
Camara, who won the feature race in Bahrain last year, endured a frustrating outing after stalling at the start and ultimately finished 12th, out of the points.
Strømsted’s tenth-place finish was enough to move him into second in the standings, now just 10 points behind Camara as the tightly contested season begins to take shape.
The FIA Formula 3 grid will return to action next weekend in Australia, where Tsolov will look to build on his Bahrain breakthrough.