Brilliant Nikola Tsolov - won the sprint race in Bahrain in Formula 3

Bulgarian pilot Nikola Tsolov triumphed in the sprint race for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second round of the Formula 3 season, BTA reports.
The 18-year-old Campos Racing pilot started fifth on the "Sahir" track, but with a brilliant ride he reached the victory. Tsolov had to deal not only with the huge competition, but also with extreme tire wear due to the heat of the track in Bahrain, with the asphalt temperature exceeding 53 degrees.
Right at the start, Tsolov gained one position and moved up to fourth place. By the fourth lap, the Bulgarian climbed to second position, after which his fight with the Briton Freddie Slater (AIX Racing) began.

The battle between the two started after the safety car was removed, which came out on the track due to a technical problem with the car of the American Hugo Ugochukwu. Tsolov managed to enter the corners before Slater several times, but the Briton managed to respond at their end and retained his first place.
However, on the ninth lap, Tsolov made an attack that remained unanswered by the Briton.

The Bulgarian began to open a lead that reached almost a second, but a new safety car appeared on the track. This restored the hopes of the pilots behind the Bulgarian, and especially those of Slater. After the restart of the race on the 17th lap, the two "bite" again, but the young hope of Bulgarian motorsports showed great skills and defended his position in the best way.

Tsolov finished with a half-second lead over Slater, and third was the Finn Tuuka Taponen from ART Grand Prix. His gap to the Bulgarian's time was 1.2 seconds.

For Nikola Tsolov, who is driving for the third consecutive season in Formula 3, this is the fourth victory in a race. His previous three successes were achieved last season. On Sunday, the Bulgarian will be able to duplicate today's victory in the classic race in Bahrain. In it, he will start from eighth place on the starting grid.