Red Bull have confirmed that they have added a Formula 3 talent to their junior team following their departure from a rival academy and after causing major controversy in the category this season.
Nikola Tsolov has been announced as the latest recruit to the Red Bull junior team, with the 17-year-old joining the Milton Keynes-based outfit two days after he announced his departure from Alpine.
The news also comes after Tsolov was confirmed as a Campos Racing driver for the 2025 Formula 3 season. The Bulgarian will make his return to the Spanish team having started his career with them in Spanish F4.
The 17-year-old will join Mari Boya and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Campos next season after spending the previous two seasons with ART Grand Prix. Tsolov endured a difficult debut season in F3 in 2023, where he scored only 10 points and finished 22nd in the standings.
Red Bull sign Nikola Tsolov to their junior team following his departure from Alpine
Tsolov’s 2024 campaign got off to a good start as he finished fourth in the Sprint Race in Bahrain, but he would not score points again for the next five races.
In Australia, the Bulgarian was responsible for one of the most controversial incidents in F3 history. During Practice, Tsolov drove straight into the side of rival Alex Dunne and forced him off the track and into the barriers.
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The incident only warranted a three-place grid penalty for Tsolov, but it did not paint him in a good light from fans or pundits. The 17-year-old would go on to score six more points finishes for the rest of the season.
Among those points finishes were three wins at the Sprint Races in Monaco and Austria and the Feature Race in Hungary. Tsolov finished the season 11th in the standings with 75 points in what was an inconsistent season.
Nevertheless, the Bulgarian has caught the attention of Red Bull, and the defending F1 champions have snapped up an ‘excellent’ driver, according to Campos Racing team principal Adrian Campos Jr.
After signing Tsolov to his team for next season, Campos Jr told the F3 website: “It is a pleasure to reunite with Nikola, a driver we have excellent memories of. He took his first steps in single-seaters with Campos Racing, winning the title in his first experience with us, and did so in an overwhelming manner.
“In the post-season tests we have conducted, we performed at a very high level in Jerez and Barcelona. I am confident that we are on the verge of a great year together.”
Nikola Tsolov follows in Arvid Lindblad’s footsteps as a Red Bull-backed Formula 3 driver
While it is notorious for not giving young drivers opportunities in F1 and brutally sacking them not long after they eventually get that chance, Tsolov will have substantial backing next season from Red Bull as they look to move their talent up the ranks.
The Bulgarian will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Arvid Lindblad, who finished fourth last season in F3 in his debut year. The 17-year-old Brit will join Campos in Formula 2 next season as Lindblad impresses the Red Bull hierarchy including Christian Horner.
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As Lindblad steps into F2, Isack Hadjar is set to become Red Bull’s reserve driver for 2025. The Frenchman is in the hunt for the title this season, as he sits four and a half points behind Gabriel Bortoleto.
There is a chance that Hadjar could make another step up into a full-time race seat in F1, if Red Bull choose to part company with the struggling Sergio Perez.