Eight rounds into the 14 occasions of the 2026 Components 2 season, three Components 1 juniors have emerged as clear title contenders – with one other one a darkish horse.
Purple Bull Junior Crew member Nikola Tsolov presently leads the standings on 161 factors from Alpine Academy racer Gabriele Mini (134), Rafael Camara (125) from the Ferrari Driver Academy, and Alpine’s Alex Dunne (108).
Campos Racing’s Tsolov could have been essentially the most spectacular of all with already six wins to his title, together with three in a row – a document in Components 2, solely matched by Davide Valsecchi within the GP2 period.
Mini has been essentially the most constant driver, admittedly taking only one victory however ending 14 races within the high eight with MP Motorsport – all however the Monaco function race, the place the sophomore endured a sluggish pitstop as he was working fifth, and the Spa-Francorchamps dash, the place he lay twelfth earlier than a technical situation took him out of the race.
Following in champions Gabriel Bortoleto and Leonardo Fornaroli’s footsteps at Invicta Racing after equalling the GP3/F3 document for pole positions in a season on his method to final 12 months’s title, Camara has taken 4 of the final 5 poles, which helped him clinch two function race victories.
Dunne is but to match the highs of his rookie F2 season, however he has nonetheless collected 5 podiums so far with Rodin Motorsport.
On a Spa-Francorchamps observe that may be a driver favorite and nonetheless challenges the children – maybe greater than F1 racers these days – these 4 drivers confirmed their standing as frontrunners within the 2026 season.
Not a lot within the dash race – the reverse grid often paves the best way for uncommon outcomes, and this was no exception. Joshua Duerksen prevailed to finish a 13-race podiumless run, second-placed Martinius Stenshorne scored factors for the primary time since Monaco, and Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic returned to the rostrum – Monaco additionally being his earlier look on the podium.
However the function contest, regardless of a number of incidents that curtailed the race, supplied fascinating wheel-to-wheel racing, and the frontrunners rose to the event.
Camara misplaced out to fellow front-row starter Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at the beginning, and robustly held off a daring Tsolov going across the outdoors at La Supply two laps later, arguably pushing the Campos into the gravel.
Camara simply made his approach again into the lead on lap 5 forward of his pitstop. After the race was red-flagged on account of a hefty crash for Laurens van Hoepen, the Brazilian made essentially the most of his new tyres to move three vehicles inside seconds and went on to win most comfortably.
Rafael Camara, Invicta Racing
Picture by: Dom Gibbons / Components 1 through Getty Photos
Tsolov’s race was made trickier by an unsuccessful set-up tweak and injury from the incident with Camara – on high of additional points.
“I had a superb restart after which clearly tried to assault Rafa into Flip 1, we had a bit contact there,” the Bulgarian mentioned. “From that second onwards, for some cause I didn’t have a lot tempo anymore. Additionally the automotive was a bit damaged, so we obtained the possibility through the purple flag to repair the sidepod and stuff. [Tyres] actually dropped off, particularly with the set-up we had in the present day, it was not the precise selection, I believe.
“The purple flag helped us to know that one of many brakes was absolutely switched off earlier than that, so it most likely was helpful. Yeah, there have been a number of issues that went flawed, however I believe we nonetheless maximised it.”
The championship chief took a sensible strategy to the tip of the race – “Tas [Inthraphuvasak] was quicker in the present day, so it was all about accepting that truth and simply dropping as little time as potential” – and ended up fifth underneath the chequered flag. Monitor-limits penalties for Dunne and his Campos team-mate Noel Leon, which Tsolov knew have been coming, boosted him as much as third – a modest outcome in comparison with his function race victories at Purple Bull Ring and Silverstone, however sufficient to extend his championship lead.
Nikola Tsolov, Campos Racing
Picture by: Clive Mason / Getty Photos
Whereas the all-rookie podium featured an unusually spectacular Inthraphuvasak in second, present runner-up Mini discreetly however steadfastly recovered from a lap-one collision with Roman Bilinski and the resultant five-second penalty to complete fifth – proper behind fellow Alpine junior Dunne.
Of the 4 rising title contenders, podium finishers Camara and Tsolov attended the post-race press convention, and Autosport requested them what impressed them essentially the most about one another.
“We have been each very constant,” Camara mentioned. “It appears like each race weekend we’re there, even talking final 12 months as effectively. Nikola has been all the time fast. For positive he is an excellent one and it is good to be this 12 months combating for championships.
“And he additionally created a superb respect for each. Clearly within the observe you are making an attempt to maximise for your self, however I believe the respect outdoors of the observe has been one thing that it was a superb shock or one thing – not stunned however not impressed as effectively, nevertheless it was one thing that I respect.”
Tsolov concurred: “Related remark as Rafa. I believe we all know that what occurs on observe and off observe is 2 separate issues, so it is fairly cool to see. Alternatively, for positive his qualifying performances this 12 months have been fairly spectacular, additionally final 12 months, so it is most likely one that’s fairly spectacular.”
Rafael Camara, Invicta Racing, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, ART Grand Prix, Nikola Tsolov, Campos Racing, Jack Watling, Invicta Racing
Picture by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
Because it occurs, Camara and Tsolov are also the 2 F2 drivers whose names have been most distinguished in F1’s nascent foolish season – and it’s not simply rumours, with Racing Bulls group principal Alan Permane brazenly describing the Bulgarian as “subsequent in line”.
Nonetheless, the media-savvy kids unsurprisingly most well-liked to avoid the hypothesis.
“For me clearly that’s the tip purpose and my dream, however for the time being, the higher I do in F2 the higher place I’ve for something for the longer term,” Tsolov mentioned. “So I’m full give attention to F2, clearly I’m taking it spherical by spherical.”
“I’m simply specializing in what I can do for the time being, as a result of in case you’re not doing a superb job in F2, almost certainly you’re not going the place you wish to,” Camara identified. “So simply specializing in this 12 months.”
Within the meantime, there are 12 extra races on the calendar, and will probably be fascinating to see how Camara’s sheer velocity and Tsolov’s racecraft stand as much as Mini’s and Dunne’s expertise.
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