ART Grand Prix have announced their second driver for the 2023 Formula 3 season with rookie Nikola Tsolov.
Fifteen-year-old Bulgarian racer Nikola Tsolov will become the latest addition to the 2023 Formula 3 season after winning the Spanish Formula 4 championship earlier this year. He is the 11th announced driver for next year and will partner Gregorie Saucy. This will only be Tsolov’s second season in single-seaters.
The 2022 F4 Spanish Championship
Tsolov made his karting debut in 2016 and would go on to win six championships over the next five years. In March, it was announced that he would become the latest addition to the Alpine Academy and represent them in the Spanish F4 Championship.
Racing with Campos, the young driver made light work of his competition despite it being his debut season. He had eight wins in a row (and 13 in total) and a further five podiums placed Tsolov at the top of the leaderboard with 400 points, 113 ahead of second place. In September, Tsolov got the invitation to participate in the Formula 3 post-season test.
He now joins ART who are coming off success in 2022. Last season they were led by Victor Martins on his way to the F3 Championship. With a promising rookie like Tsolov joining the team, could he challenge for the title in his debut season?
Nikola Tsolov joins the #F3 grid! ✨
The Bulgarian racer signs with @ARTGP for 2023 ✍️#RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/DhZQyiZK6n
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) December 19, 2022
Following the announcement, Tsolov stated:
“They’ve been very successful in every championship they’ve competed in and a lot of F1 drivers have been a part of the team. So, I’m super happy to start our journey!”
Sébastien Philippe (Team Principal at ART) added:
“Although it was his debut in F3 and with ART Grand Prix, during the Jerez test Nikola confirmed his ability to adapt quickly and well to a new environment as well as getting the most out of the car.”
2023 Driver Lineup
As evidenced by Zane Maloney and Ollie Bearman this season, being a rookie in Formula 3 doesn’t mean much when you have raw speed by your side. Alongside Saucy, who will stay at ART, can the two help ART win that Team Championship they have been craving?
- ART Grand Prix: Gregoire Saucy & Nikola Tsolov & TBD
- Campos Racing: Christian Mansell & TBD & TBD
- Hitech Grand Prix: Gabriele Mini & TBD & TBD
- MP Motorsport: Mari Boya & TBD & TBD
- PREMA Powertrain: Paul Aron, Dino Beganovic & Zak O’Sullivan
- Trident Racing: Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Goethe & Leonardo Fornaroli.
As drivers and teams continue to be announced, the table will be adjusted.
