Nikola Tsolov made history in Monaco as he became the first driver to claim five wins in F3, storming to a commanding lights-to-flag victory in Sunday’s Feature Race. The Campos Racing driver delivered a faultless performance around the streets of Monte Carlo, pulling clear of the field despite two Safety Car interruptions to take the chequered flag more than seven seconds ahead of his closest rival.
Having set the pace in Friday’s qualifying with a time of 1:24.882, Tsolov started the Monaco F3 Feature Race from pole position, flanked by Rodin Motorsport’s Roman Bilinski. Campos teammate Mari Boya lined up third, with Callum Voisin just behind in fourth.
Green flag in Monaco
At the start, Tsolov got away cleanly and led confidently into Sainte Dévote. Bilinski and Boya slotted in behind, with the Rodin driver fending off early pressure from the Spaniard. Voisin also looked threatening, diving to the inside of Boya at Turn 4, though the Campos man shut the door firmly.
By Lap 6, the top four had formed a train, with just tenths separating them. Behind, Tim Tramnitz had jumped ahead of Noel León at the start and was applying pressure on Voisin. Bilinski briefly closed within DRS range of Tsolov around Lap 10, setting the fastest lap in the process and pulling a gap to Boya behind. However, Tsolov responded immediately, re-establishing a two-second cushion by Lap 13, which soon extended to over four seconds.
Building a gap and Safety Cars
The Bulgarian looked untouchable, lapping consistently in the 1:26s and building a 7.5s advantage, but a crash for León at Portier brought out the first Safety Car on Lap 19. Once the incident was cleared, the race resumed, but more drama followed. Charlie Wurz, struggling with a broken front wing, blocked several drivers before crashing at Massenet, triggering another Safety Car.
Further chaos struck on Lap 23 when Nicola Marinangeli tagged Brando Badoer into the barriers at Portier. Marinangeli was handed a 10-second penalty for the collision, while Badoer became one of five retirements, joining Wurz, León, Benavides, and Lacorte.
When the race resumed with just four laps to go, Tsolov wasted no time in reasserting control, pulling away from Bilinski once more. Rafael Câmara’s retirement due to a lost rear wheel added to TRIDENT’s woes, but it didn’t distract the leader.
Final laps
On the final lap, Voisin launched a late attack on Boya for third, even brushing the barrier at Turn 1 in a desperate attempt to snatch the final podium spot. Boya held firm, securing his first podium of the season, while Voisin had to settle for fourth. Tramnitz completed the top five.
ART Grand Prix duo Laurens van Hoepen and Tuukka Taponen finished sixth and seventh respectively, with Sprint Race winner Martinius Stenshorne bringing his Hitech TGR home in eighth. Louis Sharp ensured three Rodin Motorsport cars finished in the points, while MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti rounded out the top ten.
In a race packed with incidents and overtakes, Tsolov’s calm and calculated drive stood above the chaos, a masterclass in street circuit control that cemented his place in FIA F3 history.
Final results of the F3 Feature Race in Monaco
- N. Tsolov
- R. Bilinski
- M. Boya
- C. Voisin
- T. Tramnitz
- L. Van Hoepen
- T. Taponen
- M. Stenshorne
- L. Sharp
- A. Giusti
- J. Wharton
- J. Dufek
- T. Inthraphuvasak
- N. Strømsted
- C. Ho
- U. Ugochukwu
- M. Zagazeta
- S. Ramos
- G. Xie
- I. Domingues
- N. Marinangeli
DNF T. Naël
DNF R. Camara
DNF B. Del Pino
DNF C. Wurz
DNF B. Badoer
DNF B. Benavides
DNF N. León
DNF N. Lacorte
