site.btaFormula 3 Driver Nikola Tsolov Happy with Second Part of 2024 Season

Bulgarian Formula 3 driver Nikola Tsolov visited the Varna Karting Track on Saturday to meet fans and give out autographs. In front of the media he talked about his 2024 season in the third-tier class of formula racing and the challenges ahead.

"I'm happy with the second part of the season for sure. Maybe it could have been a little better in the first part, there were a few problems, but it's all part of the process of learning things," said the 17-year old Bulgarian, who won two sprint races and one feature race during the season, which saw him finish 11th in the Drivers' Championship. He expressed hope that next season things will come together and allow him to drive in that way again, so that he can attack the title and first place. He added that preparations for the next season have already begun, as the first Formula 3 race of the 2025 season will take place in March in Australia.

"So, Formula 1 is the big dream. It's actually quite close, but at the same time quite far away. Just two steps ahead, which are achieved with good results and good financial support from sponsors. So I wouldn't say that it's too far away," Tsolov pointed out. Asked about who he wants to look like as a driver, the Bulgarian said that he wants to look like himself. He admitted however that he admires two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who is also his manager and helps him in every situation, and added that as a driving style, excluding Alonso, he might also like three-time world champion Max Verstappen.

"My motto is to never give up, never give in, give it your all. When you work for what you want and do everything you can in your life every day to be the best at what you do, things work out," he said. Tsolov thanked his family, his sponsors and his fans for all the support and energy they have given him over the years. "For me, competing is always the most important thing, it doesn't matter what, when and where," the driver underscored.