Who exactly is Nikola Tsolov?

Written by fanf1
Who exactly is Nikola Tsolov?
Credit: FanF1

Nikola Tsolov secured victory in the penultimate round of the Spanish F4 Championship last weekend. Supported by the Alpine Academy Affiliate and Fernando Alonso, here's what you need to know about this young driver.

Who is Nikola Tsolov?

Nikola Tsolov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, on December 21, 2006. He first made a name for himself in karting, which he started practicing at the age of nine in early 2016. He won the national mini championship in his first season and repeated the feat in 2017. In 2018, he moved to Italy to race for DPK Racing under the FA Racing banner, Fernando Alonso's team. The young Bulgarian quickly proved that he could compete with the senior drivers in the series he was participating in. At the age of fourteen, he finished seventh in the 2020 Junior World Championship. The following year, he teamed up with Fernando Alonso (and Pedro De La Rosa, among others) for the Dubai 24 Hours, finishing third overall.

His debut with A14 Management and the Alpine Academy In early 2022, Fernando Alonso and two of his motorsport colleagues, Albert Resclosa and Alberto Fernandez, launched A14 Management. Nikola Tsolov and Formula 2 driver Clément Novalak both signed with the double world champion's new management company. At the same time, Tsolov joined the Alpine-affiliated academy, joining Hadrien David and Abbi Pulling, and positioning himself for a possible future with the Alpine Academy.

Discovery of single-seaters and F4 Spain

The year 2022 marked a turning point for the Bulgarian, who moved up to single-seaters racing for Campos in the Spanish F4 championship. He dominated the series, winning the title in the sixth round at Navarra. In 18 races, he recorded:

  • 12 pole positions
  • 10 wins
  • 14 fastest laps
  • 13 podium finishes

Two podium finishes in the opening races at Navarra were later canceled after the Campos cars were disqualified.

What's next?

Tsolov's progress earned him the championship trophy and a place in the post-season Formula 3 tests at Jerez with ART GP. His performances suggest that he could move straight into F3 next season, without going through Euroformula Open, and Alpine is expected to keep him in its development program.