Nikola Tsolov retained his lead in the overall Formula 2 standings after a tough race at “Monza“. The Bulgarian Campos Racing driver finished seventh after starting from ninth place, but collected enough points to remain at the top of the championship. Tsolov entered the racing weekend as the leader and managed to retain first position after the race at “Monza”. Before Sunday's race, the Bulgarian had 171 points, and his main pursuers were Gabriele Mini and Rafael Camara. After the sprint race, the difference between Tsolov and Mini was 24 points, while Camara was 26 points behind.
For Tsolov, the weekend did not start in the best possible way. In qualifying, Camara won the pole position with a time of 1:31.326 minutes, while Dirksen took second place. The Bulgarian driver came in sixth in the initial qualifying standings, which put him in a more difficult position for the main race.
In the sprint, Tsolov still managed to limit the damage. Joshua Dirksen had an impressive race and reached the victory after starting seventh. The Paraguayan made several overtakes and ultimately recorded his third success of the season. Tsolov finished fifth and thus continued to accumulate valuable points in the championship battle.
In the main race, Dirksen once again proved to be above everyone. The Paraguayan won ahead of his Invicta Racing teammate Rafael Camara and completed an impressive one-two for the “Monza” team. Kamara started from pole position for the fifth time this season, but once again failed to convert the first starting position into a victory.
The third place on the podium was taken by Noel Leon of Campos Racing, Tsolov's teammate. John Bennett remained fourth, and the top five was completed by Ritomo Miyata.
Nikola Tsolov crossed the finish line seventh, just behind Alex Dunn. Tasanapol Intrapuvashak, Oliver Goethe and Nico Varone completed the top ten and also scored points.
Although he failed to fight for a place on the podium, Tsolov achieved the most important thing for his championship campaign - he retained the lead. After his strong season, the Bulgarian continues to have a significant lead over his main competitors and enters the final part of the year as one of the big favorites for the title.
The presentation of “Monza“ is also particularly important because of Tsolov's form this season. The Bulgarian has already won six races in 2026, and in July he regained the championship lead after a perfect weekend at “Silverstone“, where he won both the sprint and the main race. Formula1.com noted at the time that it was this success that propelled Tsolov to the top of the general standings.
After “Monza“ the battle for the title remains completely open, but Tsolov continues to hold the initiative. There are still races ahead of him in which every point could prove decisive in the fight with Mini and Camara.