FEATURE RACE: Tsolov puts Championship lead in his sights with dominant victory

Nikola Tsolov claimed a second lights-to-flag victory of the 2025 season, putting in a commanding performance to win Sunday’s Spielberg Feature Race.

Starting on pole, the Campos Racing driver had a brilliant start before going off into the distance to win at the Red Bull Ring for the second year in a row.

Hitech TGR’s Martinius Stenshorne came from P15 on the grid to finish in P2, while Tim Tramnitz produced a similar performance to go from 17th to the final spot on the podium for MP Motorsport.

AS IT HAPPENED

It was a great start for pole-sitter Tsolov, who kept the lead ahead of fellow front row starter Brad Benavides, with Noah Stromsted staying in third.

However, on Lap 2, Benavides locked up into Turn 3, putting Stromsted right on the back of the AIX Racing car. The American held on, but this battle meant that Tsolov was 1.9s clear out in front.

The TRIDENT driver eventually took second place with a move to the outside at Turn 3, and fellow rookie Ugo Ugochukwu followed him through to go to P3.

Benavides’ day got worse on Lap 4, with Rafael Câmara, Callum Voisin and Brando Badoer all passing him, dropping him to P7.

Onto Lap 6, and Ugochukwu was slowly closing the gap to Tsolov out in front, although the PREMA driver was coming under pressure from Câmara, who had passed teammate Stromsted into Turn 4 for P3.

The Championship leader’s fightback continued on the next lap, as he battled past Ugochukwu to get to second, with his targets set on chasing down title rival Tsolov.

Stromsted was next to make a move on Lap 9, getting past Ugochukwu into Turn 4 to take P3. Martinius Stenshorne was making his way through the field after starting in P15, and with an overtake on Voisin, was up to fifth by the end of Lap 11.

The Rodin Motorsport driver was soon down to P10 on Lap 13 however, losing four places to Tim Tramnitz, Mari Boya, Théophile Nael and Charlie Wurz.

Back in the battle for the podium places, Stromsted was struggling to keep Ugochukwu behind, but in trying to make a move at Turn 3, the PREMA Racing rookie lost out to Stenshorne.

The Hitech TGR driver then used the DRS to drive by Stromsted for P3, with Câmara in P2 now in view.

Tramnitz’s fightback also continued the following lap, braving it around the outside of Ugochukwu at Turn 7 to take fifth place on Lap 16.

Out in front, Tsolov was 4.6s clear of Câmara at the start of Lap 18, but the Brazilian was not in a comfortable second place, as Stenshorne closed to within DRS range of the TRIDENT.

The McLaren-backed driver took second place on the next lap at Turn 1, while Tramnitz took advantage of Stromsted running wide at the final corner to take P4 down the main straight. The Dane then lost out to Ugochukwu and Boya.

Boya kicked off Lap 21 of 26 having just set the fastest lap of the race and dived to the inside of Ugochukwu at Turn 3 to take fifth place.

Wurz was the next to get past Stromsted, going around the outside of his TRIDENT teammate at Turn 7 to take P7 on Lap 22.

The fight for the final spot on the podium then heated up on Lap 24, as Tramnitz closed to within DRS range of Câmara for third. The MP driver dived to the inside of the Brazilian to take P3.

Câmara’s struggles continued a few corners later as Boya made an audacious move at Turn 9, relegating him to fifth. Ugochukwu was next to get past the TRIDENT driver, this time at Turn 5, dropping him to P6.

But out in front, Tsolov had built a lead of over six seconds to Stenshorne and crossed the line to take his sixth F3 victory of the 2025 season, closing to within one point of Championship leader, Câmara.

Tramnitz held off Boya to take the final spot on the podium, with Ugochukwu in P5 and Câmara in P6. Wurz ended up seventh on home soil, with Stromsted in P8, as Laurens van Hoepen took P9 ahead of Voisin in P10.

KEY QUOTE – Nikola Tsolov, Campos Racing

“P1, and I did the best I could. Didn’t try to push too much for the fastest lap, but we wanted to make sure I stayed ahead and won the race, which we did. Only one point off the Championship lead, which is good news and a lot of confidence heading into the second half of the year, to keep going. A lot of confidence heading into the second half of the year, to keep going. So it’s a good way to start the second half, and let’s keep it up.”

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Rafael Câmara continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship on 115 points, but his lead to Nikola Tsolov is now just one point, with the Campos Racing driver on 114. Tim Tramnitz is third on 90 points, with Noah Stromsted and Martinius Stenshorne tied on 60 points.

In the Teams’ Standings, TRIDENT retain first place on 196 points, but their lead to Campos Racing is now down to just five points. MP Motorsport stay in third place on 155 points, with Van Amersfoort Racing in fourth on 106, while ART Grand Prix sit fifth on 102.

UP NEXT

The drivers do not have long to rest with a trip to Silverstone for Round 7 set for next weekend from July 04-06. Who will come out on top at the British venue?