It’s not every day that a Formula 1 driver praises a junior driver for their race win. F1 is a different level compared to junior feeder categories like Formula 3. But recently, two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso broke the norm. He took to Instagram to congratulate F3 driver Nikola Tsolov for his Sprint Race win at the Red Bull Ring.
Tsolov is not just any junior driver. He is part of A14 Management, a driver academy co-founded by Fernando Alonso himself. Alonso’s academy aims to nurture young drivers, offering physical training, and decision-making advice, among other things.
Fernando Alonso gave a shoutout to his A 14 management driver Nikola Tsolov on his F3 Sprint win in Spielberg. pic.twitter.com/djZDkBc9mI
— Formula World (@F1_Grand_Prix) June 30, 2024
The Sprint win in Austria marked Tsolov’s second victory of the 2024 Formula 3 season, following his first win in Monaco. Driving for ART Grand Prix, the 17-year-old Bulgarian showed remarkable skill.
He fought hard against his teammate, Christian Mansell, and Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Martinius Stenshorne. Tsolov ultimately won on the last lap of the race.
While Tsolov has had some success, his season has not been without controversy. Earlier in the season, during F3’s sole practice session in Melbourne, Tsolov was involved in a major incident with Alex Dunne.
Nikola Tsolov got into trouble for supposedly trying to wreck a fellow driver
Earlier in the year during the race in Australia, Tsolov was punished for an incident with Alex Dunne. Tsolov swerved towards Dunne while passing him, causing a collision that sent the Irishman’s car into the wall.
Nikola Tsolov le enseña a Alex Dunne que esto no es iRacing, aquí se respeta en pista o te mandan al muro.
pic.twitter.com/SLLqaF4nY6— Pablo Vicente (@PabloVicTV) March 22, 2024
As a result, Tsolov received a three-place grid penalty and two license penalty points. Reflecting on the incident, Tsolov explained that the collision was not intentional. He told FeederSeries,
“I was a bit confused. I arrived on a push lap and I think the MP was weaving, so I didn’t know where to go to get past him because he was on a cool lap or something. I went to the left side and then I just felt a hit under my rear tire. So, I think it was just a bit of a misunderstanding, but nothing intentional from any side. I think it was just a bit unfortunate.”
Currently, Tsolov sits 10th in the 2024 F3 championship standings with 44 points. The championship is led by Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luk Browning, who has amassed 106 points so far. While Tsolov’s season has had its ups and downs, the praise from a legend like Fernando Alonso shows the young driver’s potential.
