F2 Silverstone Wrap; Last-lap antics, Tsolov’s streak & a new championship leader

• Nikola Tsolov completed a sensational Silverstone sweep by winning both the Sprint and Feature races, becoming the first driver in Formula 2 history to claim three consecutive victories.
• Tsolov’s dominant form has propelled him into a 17-point championship lead over Gabriele Minì, while title rivals Alexander Dunne and Rafael Câmara lost further ground after failing to convert front-row starts into podium finishes.
• Rafael Villagómez continued his impressive resurgence with a double podium weekend, while Tsolov’s remarkable run is further fuelling speculation over a potential Formula 1 promotion with Racing Bulls in 2027.

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Last-lap Tsolov in the Sprint

Nikola Tsolov has been the man of the moment, and in terms of the Formula 2 championship race, the Bulgarian’s Sprint victory at Silverstone proved another defining moment in the fight for the title.

Tsolov hunted down championship leader Gabriele Minì and executed a last-lap pass to claim his fifth victory of the season.

The decisive move came after the Italian locked up into The Loop, allowing the Campos driver to use DRS down the Wellington Straight to complete the race-winning overtake.

Minì had led the majority of the race after starting from reverse-grid pole. Ritomo Miyata, who lined up second, lost out to Rafael Villagómez, Tsolov and Joshua Duerksen on the opening lap.

A Safety Car was also deployed following a bizarre incident on the main straight, with John Bennett caught out by gravel kicked up by Sebastián Montoya and Colton Herta.

The streak continues in the Feature

Tsolov backed up his last-lap heroics in the Sprint by claiming a third consecutive victory in the Silverstone Feature Race, becoming the first driver in Formula 2 history to complete a hat-trick of wins.

The triumph also saw the Bulgarian take over the championship lead while securing his sixth trip to the top step of the podium in 2026.

The Campos driver started fifth but surged into second after front-row starters Rafael Câmara and Alexander Dunne made poor getaways. Kush Maini inherited the lead after starting third.

Following the pit-stop phase, Tsolov began hunting down Maini and, on Lap 20, produced a bold move through Maggotts and Becketts to take the net race lead.

Villagómez made a late stop on Lap 25 for the Soft tyres, with the fresh rubber allowing the Mexican to pass Maini for second.

Villagómez secures double podium

The Van Amersfoort Racing driver endured a difficult start to the 2026 season, suffering four consecutive retirements across the Miami and Montreal rounds and failing to score points until his podium finish in Austria.

However, Villagómez has now claimed three podiums in the last four races, vaulting from 22nd to 10th in the championship in just two rounds.

Qualifying 10th placed him perfectly to capitalise in both races, with Sunday’s runner-up finish coming courtesy of an excellent strategic drive.

“The team gave me an amazing car, the strategy was perfect, so I couldn’t ask for more to be honest,” the Mexican said after his best weekend of the season.

“Of course, we wanted to win because the pace was good, but we will take it. Starting eighth, of course, in order to make the strategy work, you need to have pace. So once we saw the pace was good, we just kept going. It was not easy, but it was nice to get it done.”

Dunne and Câmara fail to convert strong qualifying pace

From being firmly in contention for the championship to now sitting behind Tsolov and Minì, both Alexander Dunne and Rafael Câmara have reason to rue their inability to convert strong qualifying performances into race results.

Neither scored points in the Sprint while the championship’s leading two drivers finished first and second. Then, despite locking out the front row for the Feature, both made poor starts and were unable to challenge for podium positions.

Polesitter Câmara ultimately finished fifth, while Dunne—still searching for his first victory of 2026—came home fourth.

Separated by just two points, the pair now trail new championship leader Tsolov by 47. While mathematically still in the title fight, they have lacked the consistency to match the leading duo.

A new championship leader

Tsolov’s remarkable run has now propelled him ahead of Minì in the Formula 2 standings, opening up a 17-point championship lead.

The achievement is unprecedented, with no driver in Formula 2 history having previously won three consecutive races. Tsolov has now amassed six victories this season, compared to Minì’s lone win in the Miami Feature Race.

It is exactly the sort of form that will have Red Bull paying close attention, further fuelling speculation that the Bulgarian has already secured a Racing Bulls Formula 1 seat for 2027. However, with Liam Lawson having recorded a fifth consecutive points finish in Formula 1, Tsolov still faces stiff competition if he hopes to displace one of the current incumbents.

Formula 2 now heads into another double-header, with Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungaroring before the summer break, setting the stage for four more races in what is becoming a fascinating championship battle.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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