The final phase of the FIA Formula 2 season resumes this coming weekend in Qatar, with Briton Arvid Lindblad eager to climb positions in the standings. The big news will be the debut of Nikola Tsolov in the category, driving the team’s other Red Bull-liveried car
The current FIA Formula 2 campaign has entered its decisive stage. Only two rounds remain: this weekend’s event in Lusail and, just seven days later, the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Two races on desert circuits, held at unusual times and expected to be highly unpredictable. Campos Racing, the only Spanish team on the grid, will feature a new addition to its driver line-up: alongside Arvid Lindblad, Nikola Tsolov —the reigning FIA Formula 3 runner-up— will make his debut, arriving in FIA F2 ready to give it everything.
Both the drivers’ and teams’ championships are extremely tight, with minimal gaps. As an example, in the teams’ standings Campos Racing currently sits third on 221 points, but with 130 still up for grabs, anything can happen. In the drivers’ standings, Lindblad holds seventh place in his rookie season. The British driver has been one of the revelations of the year, with two victories to his name —in Jeddah and Barcelona— plus two further podiums, both in Italy: first in Imola and most recently in Monza. With 109 points, Lindblad is aiming to make up as many positions as possible, starting this very weekend in Qatar.
As noted earlier, and as announced a couple of weeks ago, Tsolov joins the championship to gain experience ahead of 2026. The “Bulgarian Lion”, after being one of the title contenders in FIA F3, will look to adapt as quickly as possible to his new car and, why not, showcase his talent already in Lusail. Pressure? None. Hunger? All of it. Challenges, as Tsolov demonstrated in his single-seater debut with Campos Racing, only serve to motivate the Sofia-born driver even more.
The Lusail International Circuit, inaugurated in 2004, is the country’s main motorsport venue. Introduced to the FIA Formula 2 calendar in 2024, its current configuration measures 5.419 km and features sixteen corners. If one characteristic defines the track, it is its high tyre degradation —caused by lateral loads, kerbs and the abrasive surface. In addition, track temperatures hovering around 30ºC, according to forecasts, will not help. Tyre management will undoubtedly be the key to the weekend, and those drivers and teams who master it will be the ones at the front. In fact, Campos Racing shone in this regard during last year’s visit, with Isack Hadjar completing two impressive charges to finish fourth in the sprint race and second in Sunday’s feature race.
Free practice will get underway on Friday at 12:05, with qualifying following at 17:10. On Saturday, the first race starts at 17:20, while the second race takes place on Sunday at 13:00. All times are CET.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): “After more than two months since the last race, we approach the final sprint in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Since Baku we haven’t stopped working on the cars and in the simulator with our drivers to arrive as strong as possible for these last two events. Arvid finished second in Monza and was also among the frontrunners in Baku, so he comes here in great form. The standings are extremely tight, and many changes can happen in these final races. As for Nikola, we’re helping him as much as we can so that his adaptation to F2 is as effective as possible. It’s a big step up from F3, but he has talent in abundance, and we are convinced he will make an impact from the very beginning.”
