Nikola Dimitrov Tsolov (, ; born 21 December 2006) is a Bulgarian racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Campos Racing as part of the Red Bull Junior Team.
Born and raised in Sofia, Tsolov began competitive kart racing aged nine, winning several national and continental titles before graduating to junior formulae in 2022. He won the F4 Spanish Championship in his rookie season. Nicknamed "the Bulgarian Lion", he broke the record for most wins (5) in FIA Formula 3 from to , finishing runner-up to Rafael Câmara in the latter.
A member of the Alpine Academy from 2022 to 2024 and the Red Bull Junior Team since 2025, Tsolov completed his first Formula One showrun in June 2025, driving the Red Bull RB7 in Sofia.
The Bulgarian Lion (a nickname that he gained early in his career) started his karting career in 2016, supported by his father Dimitar. He became Republican champion in 2016 and 2017 in the Bulgarian Mini class.
In 2018, Tsolov moved to the Italian championships. He won the WSK Open Cup in 60 Mini karts in 2019. He the came seventh in the CIK-FIA World Championship in OKJ in 2020, and was second in the 2021 WSK Final Cup in OK, driving for DPK Racing as part of Fernando Alonso's FA Racing team. Tsolov was invited by Alonso to drive alongside him, Pedro de la Rosa, ÃÂngel Burgueño, and Alberto Fernandez in the 2021 edition of 24h Endurance race in Dubai, where they finished 3rd.
After competing for Fernando Alonso's karting team for two years, Tsolov became one of the first drivers to join A14 Management along with Clément Novalak. Tsolov joined the F4 Spanish Championship for 2022 with Campos. He started the season at Algarve with a double pole. In the first race, he finished 14th after a problem at the start, but he finished in fifth in the second race and won the third, along with setting the fastest lap in every race. He kept the good pace in the second round at the Circuito de Jerez by setting a pole position and a fastest lap in all three races, finishing second in the first race and winning second and third races, which took him to the lead of the championship. The next weekend at Circuit Ricardo Tormo he dominated the field, winning all three starts along with two pole-positions and another three fastest laps. Tsolov secured his championship win on 2 October, after finishing second in the third race at Circuito de Navarra, winning the title three races before the end of season.
In September 2022, Tsolov took part in the FIA Formula 3 post-season test, driving for ART Grand Prix. On 19 December it was announced that he would be one of ART Grand Prix drivers for the 2023 season. In February 2023, Tsolov took part in the last round of Formula Regional Middle East Championship driving for R&B Racing by GRS, as part of his preparation for F3. In the first race of the weekend he finished in ninth place, finished sixth place in the second race and 15th in the third one. He was the only driver to score points for R&B Racing in the championship.
Across his campaign in FIA Formula 3, Tsolov scored two points finishes in the sprint races in Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. He finished the season in 22nd place. Shortly after the season, Tsolov contested Eurocup-3 with GRS Team. He entered two of the eight rounds, finishing the championship in tenth place with two podiums.
ART Grand Prix retained Tsolov for the 2024 season. His first victory came in Monaco, where he won the sprint race. He was the first Bulgarian driver to win a race in the series. His second win of the season came in the sprint race in round 6 of the championship in Spielberg, and he took a third in the Hungary feature race. Tsolov would miss the round at Spa-Francorchamps due to racing there in Eurocup-3 because of the rule that you cannot drive at an circuit on the F3 or F2 calendar if you race there earlier in the year. Because Tsolov was barred from competing, he was replaced by Tuukka Taponen. He finished the season in 11th overall. Alongside his FIA Formula 3 campaign, Tsolov signed with GRS Team to compete in the full 2024 Eurocup-3 season. He finished 11th in the championship with only one podium.
In the 2025 off-season, Tsolov competed in one round of the 2025 Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship with Campos Racing. He finished races one and two in fourth place, and retired from race three. He finished 12th in the standings with 22 points. Tsolov returned to Campos Racing, the team he won the 2022 F4 Spanish Championship with, for his third FIA Formula 3 season, partnering Mari Boya and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. He took his first win of the season in Bahrain, equalling the record for most wins in the series. In Monaco, Tsolov took his maiden F3 pole position, topping the Group A session ahead of teammate Boya. He went on to win the feature race, making him the first driver to win five races in FIA Formula 3.
Tsolov made an early debut in FIA Formula 2 in , replacing Formula EâÂÂbound Pepe Martàat Campos Racing for the closing two rounds. On debut in Lusail, he qualified seventh. At the sprint race in Abu Dhabi, Tsolov finished third, getting his first podium finish in Formula 2.
In September 2025, Tsolov was announced as a full-time driver for , remaining with Campos. Tsolov won the feature race at the opening round at Melbourne, getting his first victory in Formula 2. His next round will be in Monaco, which is at the end of May.
Tsolov became a member of the Alpine Affiliate programme in March 2022. On 14 February 2023 he was promoted to a full member of Alpine Academy. On 4 November 2024, Tsolov announced on social media that he would leave the academy with immediate effect. One day later, he was announced to be joining the Red Bull Junior Team for 2025. He debuted in Formula One machinery at a Sofia showrun that June, driving the Red Bull RB7.
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Season still in progress.
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â Driver did not finish the race but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of the top-10 finishers)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of the top-10 finishers)
Season still in progress.