Nikola Tsolov finished fifth in the sprint race for the Azerbaijan Formula 2 Grand Prix. The Bulgarian driver of Campos Racing started from pole position on the city track in Baku, but problems with the rear tires did not allow him to fight for victory.
Tsolov started strongly and led the column on the first lap. However, an incident occurred between his main rival for the title, Rafael Camara, and Mari Boya. The Brazilian hit the Spaniard's car from behind, which spun and he was eliminated. Kamara continued the race, but received a 10-second penalty.
Tire problems took Tsolov out of the fight for victory
On the sixth lap, Dino Beganovic overtook Tsolov and took the lead. A few laps later, the Bulgarian lost another place to the Dutchman Laurens van Hoepen.
On the 12th lap, Tsolov announced on the radio to his team that his rear tires were “gone”. Due to the short distance, he could not enter the pits for a change. During the race, the Bulgarian was also overtaken by Kamara, but subsequent events restored his lead in the fight for the title.
On the 18th lap, Joshua Durksen retired, forcing Kamara to enter the pits to serve his penalty and change tires. The race was restarted on lap 20, but there were no changes in the lead.
Beganovic won the race ahead of Van Hoepen and Alex Dunn. Tsolov finished fifth, while Kamara remained 16th and did not add any points to his assets.
Tsolov remains at the top of the standings
After the sprint, the Bulgarian pilot leads the championship with 181 points. Kamara is second with 170, followed by Gabriele Mini with 153 and Alex Dunn with 148 points. Tsolov thus increased his lead over Kamara by four points.
The first of the two main Formula 2 races in Azerbaijan starts at 13:00.
Sources: BTA