I gave my all in every race, at every moment, for which I am proud of myself, that I was able to use my energy to really recharge during the breaks between races, because this was something important that I tried to improve this year. Nikola Tsolov said this in an interview for the show "Arena Sport". The pilot, who is already part of Formula 2, analyzed last season.
"There were certainly moments when I could have done better, other moments that were not up to me, but I am happy with how things are going and how they look for me for next year and for my future", the Bulgarian commented to BNT.
When asked what were the most difficult moments for him this season, he replied:
"One of them was certainly in Australia, when the red flag prevented us from doing a good lap in qualifying, because we were preparing so much for this round, because it is the first and it is important to start strong."
Tsolov said that his move to Formula 2 is the best thing that has happened to him this year.
"Ultimately, that is the goal. Of course, I always want to do as well as possible in each category. The best moment was certainly in Monaco, in Austria, where I managed to win the races and have very good weekends on my part, but it was precisely those weekends that confirmed my seat in Formula 2, so everything is a bit of a follow-up," he explained.
"I probably put the most pressure on myself of all the people and the most expectations on myself. So I don't believe that will change much for next year. I would prepare even better. At the moment I don't know how, but I will analyze this so that I can learn new ways to arrive in the best possible shape in each race and keep it throughout the season, because that is the most important thing. Yes, I didn't have that much pressure, but sometimes it's useful," said Tsolov.
What does the 18-year-old pilot work on to achieve these results?
"We do a lot of things, besides physical training, which is completely clear, like in any sport. We do a lot of technical work, which comes mostly from Red Bull, they help me learn a lot more about the car, so that I have better information later and how we can improve it, and the work on the simulator is very clear, again at Red Bull it is very useful, because that's where they teach us these things and we experiment even before we go to the track," Tsolov explained.
He revealed that he is working on his mental state.
"I work with a person who helps me a lot and I think that this will be a big step forward for me for next year, because after the end of the Formula 3 season I really started to believe in this so much and work on it. I just came out of some things that are personal to me, situations that I had to handle better and moments, so that I am in a better condition in everyday life, which certainly affects the driving much later," said Tsolov.
What are the Bulgarian pilot's plans and ambitions for the next season?
"Personally, I want to develop further as a person, as a pilot, as a professional on the track and off. Already in the professional sphere, I want to have a successful enough season to be able to confirm my last step up. This is certainly my goal and dream, which I am so close to realizing. I certainly believe that next year there may be tests and there may be situations where I potentially drive the Formula 1 car. This is a dream and a goal for me, but everything comes with the results, everything comes with the way of working off the track and on it. That's why I have to do well. That's what I wish for and that's my ambition," said Tsolov.
He revealed that he received the most help from Nikolay Varbitsaliev, as well as that he takes an example from Max Verstappen.
"I look up to him on a professional level and I want to watch his behavior, I watch the way he communicates with the team, how he directs the team. I really think that over these years he has managed to develop the car together with Red Bull to be so fast at the moment and that is very, very impressive, which I want to achieve someday," concluded Nikola Tsolov.