Tsolov pleased to be in a ‘rhythm’ after setting the pace in Monte Carlo Practice

Nikola Tsolov was happy with how his Monte Carlo Free Practice went, after the Campos Racing driver’s last lap of the day took him to the top of the timesheets.

The Bulgarian had been in and around the top five for much of the 45-minute runout, but once he switched from the Mediums to the Softs, he rocketed up to P1.

Tsolov’s 1:25.622 meant he beat MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz by 0.219s to the top time, giving him and the Spanish outfit positive momentum going into Friday’s Qualifying.

PRACTICE: Tsolov leads the way ahead of Tramnitz in Monte Carlo

“I think it was a good and clean session overall,” said Tsolov. “We managed to do a lot of laps for the first time. The last two years, FP has been really tricky here with rain, so I am quite happy to get into a rhythm, for me that's the most important thing.

“I did a decent last lap, one that I thought was good enough, so I’m happy to be up there. It just gives me confidence for tomorrow and even more than before FP, because I already felt comfortable after last year, but I'm quite happy.”

On such a tight circuit, traffic was an issue for much of the session, and while Tsolov was one who had his fast laps interrupted by other drivers, he was pleased that he could at least complete his Soft tyre runs at the end of the day.

“We were 30 cars on track, and Monaco is a bit tight,” he continued. “You also never know what people are doing, with push, cool, sequences and everything.

“So, I got traffic on some laps, especially at the beginning of the session on Medium tyres. But on the Softs, I managed to do my last push and that's the most important thing. The last one is the closest we are going to get to quali, so happy I did it.”

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Tsolov is also one of eight drivers with previous experience around Monte Carlo who finished inside the top 10 in Free Practice.

However, while their knowledge of the Principality is useful, the Red Bull Junior Team driver revealed that the new Formula 3 car meant there were a few new challenges he had to adapt to around the circuit.

“I think in terms of references, it was really useful to put on the Softs,” said Tsolov. “I think the track should be close to this in quali tomorrow, maybe a bit quicker after F1 and with some cooler temperatures expected.

“It was quite unclear the braking references, as the speed you arrive with in this car is quite different to last year, so you kind of have to learn about it yourself and I managed too.”

Looking ahead to Qualifying, Tsolov says he and Campos are in a good spot heading into Friday's showdown.

READ MORE: Taponen ‘excited’ for the pressure of Qualifying ahead of Monte Carlo debut

“The car is in a good place,” he added. “There are a few things we can work on, which is a positive. To have some things to improve and you are already up there, it's a good sign.

“I’m feeling good with the car, so let's go.”