The 2025 Formula 2 season will come to an end in 10 days, giving drivers just two more rounds to leave an impression on the series and all those who follow it. Ahead of this weekend’s penultimate event in Qatar, Feeder Series spoke to AIX Racing sophomore Joshua Dürksen and Campos Racing newcomer Nikola Tsolov about how they’re approaching the final two F2 rounds of the year. 

By Calla Kra-Caskey

Following the end of F2’s European season in September, several drivers departed for pastures new, making space for a handful of rookies to step up from F3. One such driver is 2025 F3 runner-up Nikola Tsolov, who graduated to F2 after Pepe Martí took on a full-time Formula E seat for the all-electric series 2025–26 season, beginning next weekend.

The Bulgarian’s promotion within Campos came earlier than he expected. 

“The only surprise was the call to go up, I think, a bit early,” he told Feeder Series at the pre-weekend media roundtable. “Like a pleasant surprise, let’s say.” 

Tsolov is taking things as they come this weekend. His F3 season with Campos means he knows how the team runs, and accordingly decreases the adaptation he has to do as he makes the step up between series.

His goal for his first F2 weekend? “Just finishing all my laps, to be honest.” 

There are other factors that have made the transition easier. F2 introduced a new car, the Dallara F2 2024, last year, shaking up the teams’ running order – and helping Campos rise to the top. F3 followed with an updated car of its own this year, bringing with it a three-inch increase in tyre diameter. That both series have adopted their newer models is good for drivers promoted mid-season, Tsolov said.  

“This year in F3, the tyres were 16-inch and F2 are 18. So we’re not that far away, in that sense,” the Red Bull junior said. “The way the car behaves should be a little bit more similar to the new F3 comparing to the old one. So there should be similarities, but I still cannot say anything until FP and quali are done.”

There’s also the matter of tyre compounds. In F3, tyre supplier Pirelli brings just one option to each round. In F2, Pirelli selects two. For Qatar, the Italian brand chose the hard and the soft, creating a bigger difference than what they had between the hard and the medium last year. 

“That’ll be an interesting step to find out about,” Tsolov said, estimating the difference between the two compounds to be ‘three, three and a half seconds’. 

Last year’s best mid-season debutant, Dino Beganovic, qualified fourth around the Lusail International Circuit during his first F2 outing. It’s certainly a high bar for Tsolov to clear, but rookie success while adjusting to a new car and different tyres isn’t impossible. 

AIX Racing’s Joshua Dürksen also wants to make the most of the final two rounds of the season – his last with AIX before he switches to Invicta Racing for 2026. Unlike Tsolov, though, he has some specific results he wants to achieve. He took three podiums across four races in Monza and Baku ahead of F2’s two-month break and hopes to continue that form in the season-ending double-header. 

“If you look, last year was exactly the same thing,” he told Feeder Series. “Monza we were quick. Baku we were quick. Qatar we struggled a little bit. On the races we were quick, but then the safety car also impeded us to have a good result. We were on the wrong strategy. And then Abu Dhabi went really well, making also almost a double podium there.

“I think we have good chances this year to do the same thing again, of course improving the performance in Qatar and matching the performance in Abu Dhabi. 

“Finishing the year with a win last year was really amazing, and it’s my target as well to do it right now. So I’m really confident we have the package to still make good results and for sure finish in the top 10 in the championship.”

Dürksen is currently 12th in the standings, 10 points behind Prema’s Sebastián Montoya in 10th. If he could meet his goal and close the season with a victory as he did last year, he would be the first F2 driver to win the first and last race of a season. 

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency