Tsolov and León complete over five hundred laps at Yas Marina Circuit at the wheel of their Campos Racing F2 cars. Both drivers carried out extensive qualifying and race simulations and made solid progress in setup development alongside their engineers ahead of next season
The roar of the FIA Formula 2 engines fell silent this Friday—at least as far as 2025 is concerned. The three-day post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit proved invaluable for accumulating essential mileage in preparation for next year’s campaign. Over the course of the test, Bulgarian driver Nikola Tsolov and Mexican newcomer Noel León—who was making his first outing with both the team and the category—completed more than five hundred laps around the Emirates venue. Campos Racing’s technical crew and the two drivers focused their work on qualifying and race simulations, as well as practice starts and pit stop drills, always aiming to fine-tune the setup to suit every specific condition.
Wednesday’s morning session, held on a track still carrying a considerable amount of dust, was dedicated mainly to installation laps ensuring all systems were functioning correctly. Even so, Tsolov and León placed inside the top five with laps of 1m39.337s and 1m39.375s respectively. In the afternoon, as both track and ambient conditions improved, times dropped progressively. León eventually posted a 1m37.819s, showcasing his swift adaptation to the car and the team, while Tsolov logged a 1m38.922s.
On the second day, the pattern flipped and the morning session proved quicker, especially on the softest tyre compound. León recorded a 1m37.749s, good enough for seventh place, with his Bulgarian teammate close behind in ninth with a 1m37.892s. The afternoon was dedicated to long-run work. Tsolov completed no fewer than 73 laps during his race simulations, setting a best time of 1m41.851s with consistent pace. León was almost identical on pace, stopping the clock at 1m41.864s.
The third and final day also saw the Campos Racing drivers firmly among the frontrunners, and it turned out to be the fastest overall of the week. Running on supersoft tyres, Tsolov and León delivered laps of 1m37.466s and 1m37.478s respectively, securing another appearance in the top ten. The afternoon followed the same programme as the previous day, with engineers and drivers concentrating on race simulations. Tsolov posted a best lap of 1m41.137s, while León registered a 1m41.404s.
The team now heads into several weeks of detailed analysis of all the data gathered, refining every last aspect ahead of a season that will kick off on 7–8 March in Melbourne.
Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 2): “Those were three excellent days of testing. We tried a wide range of items throughout the week and managed to put many things together. We take away plenty of positives, and I’m already looking forward to getting started next season.”
Noel León (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 2): ““My first days with Campos Racing were very positive, and I’m really happy with how they went. We now have a lot of data to analyse heading into next year. I’m very satisfied with this first step working together and can’t wait for the season to begin.”
