Tsolov says he and Campos are in a ‘rhythm’ after sweeping opening day of Sakhir test

Nikola Tsolov was pleased to end the first day of in-season testing in Sakhir with the fastest time, but is eager for he and Campos Racing to take their pace into the race weekends.

The Bulgarian driver showed good pace early on at the Bahrain International Circuit, hitting the ground running in the morning segment with the fastest lap of a 1:49.336.

He maintained that form in the afternoon when times were at their quickest, setting a 1:48.901 and beating ART Grand Prix driver Tuukka Taponen, along with teammate Mari Boya by 0.014s.

READ MORE: Tsolov sweeps opening day of Sakhir in-season test

For Tsolov, this continues a trend in where he and Campos have performed well at tests, including at this year’s pre-season outing in Barcelona, where they set the fastest time.

While he is happy to show the pace he and Campos have, he’s hopeful of transferring it to the race weekends, given that he took just three points away from the opening round in Melbourne.

“I feel good,” he said reflecting on the day. “Just like in Barcelona, I think the car is working very well, we've got the rhythm, it's just all about putting it together on the weekend now. I am tired of being quick, knowing we have the pace, but not maximising it in the races.

“So, we are just looking into finding ways of how to avoid any possible unlucky situations in a couple of weeks, that's going to be the main goal.

“But about today, I am happy as usual. We keep working, we keep finding good things about the car, so it's valuable track time.”

Part of why Tsolov feels good is the working relationship he has with Campos, and he talked of the trust he has in a team that for him feels like “family”.

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The 18-year-old is also happy that they have the main ingredient to be successful, which is pace, but now it’s about showing the potential they have in their package.

“Being quick is the hardest thing be, and we already have that,” he said. “So, I am just tired of not being able to show it in the race because of other circumstances.

“For me, it's about standing up on our feet from a bad weekend in Australia and showing our potential in the races in a couple of weeks. This is what is going to make me feel better, and I cannot wait for the race weekend to arrive.”

While Tsolov placed a huge amount of importance of transferring their pace into the race weekends, he also feels they solved a few things on the car on Day 1.

“The focus is always on the races,” he continued. “It's the main target but for sure there have been a few things we needed to fix on the car, certain behaviours that we have managed to fix in the end, at least for me, so I am happy with the progress we have made.”

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For Tsolov, any chance to drive is a pleasure, so he is looking forward to the next two days of testing, where he believes the track time could prove to be invaluable heading into the rest of the season.

“I feel good,” he added. “There are a lot of tyres left, a lot of sets, and I am always excited to drive as much as possible, so I am looking forward to having another productive learning.

“The results don’t really matter of the test, but it's good to show that we are quick. I am quick and we are where we need to be.”