Camara and Mini not giving up
The two closest challengers to Nikola Tsolov have eroded the Bulgarian’s lead in the last two rounds, with both of them taking critical victories.
Mini took a much-needed victory in the Sprint Race in Hungary, while Camara secured another podium, his fifth of the year.
Mini is now 20 points adrift and the Brazilian just two further back.
Neither is giving up in the title race, even though it looked like Tsolov had all the momentum after Silverstone, where he won both races.
As we have seen in previous F2 seasons, momentum can shift extraordinarily quickly.
That was a battling weekend in Budapest ????
Here's how it affected the Driver Standings ??#F2 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/xWkfRbXWzT
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 26, 2026
Tsolov makes his first major error
The first cracks in an otherwise textbook first part of the season appeared on Saturday in Budapest for Nikola Tsolov.
The ill-judged move on Sebastian Montoya, when battling for second place, brought the biggest possible consequence – handing his nearest title rival a 10-point bite from his lead and a five-place grid drop for the following day.
Nikola Tsolov ? Sebastian Montoya
The incident that led to the Bulgarian Lion's grid penalty for the Feature ?#F2 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/EBLix4wf5K
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 25, 2026
He recovered well on Sunday, but the Red Bull Junior really should have just banked the third place at least in the Sprint Race.
It’s not to suggest that Tsolov is losing control because everyone can make mistakes, he just needs to ensure it’s the only one he makes this season.
Still on top ???@NikolaTsolov leaves Budapest as the championship leader ?#F2 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/dr6CZQtd5m
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 26, 2026
Campos are now F2’s Gold Standard
I’ve lost count of how many races Campos have won this season, but I can tell you that Noel Léon took the most recent one! The Spanish team has looked unstoppable at times this season and are hot favourites to take a first-ever F2 Teams title.
Invicta, the defending champions, are a whopping 74 points behind and face a near-vertical uphill struggle to retain their crown.
Campos extends the gap after Noel León's win ??
The Spanish outfit holds a 74-point lead as we leave Budapest ??#F2 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/gwhS32R0F5
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 26, 2026
Van Hoepen is back on form
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the best of Laurens Van Hoepen and we saw the first glimpses of it since Canada in Hungary.
A podium, as a result of the Montoya-Tsolov clash, was his first since Miami and a welcome return, and he drove superbly to follow it up on Sunday with fourth place, despite starting sixth.
He spoke on Saturday of issues that the team had got to the bottom of that had allowed the speed to return to the Dutchman, as he bounced back impressively from a hefty crash the previous week in Spa.
Léon has a big role to play in deciding the championship
F2’s latest Feature Race winner could play a decisive role in where the F2 title goes. His team mate Nikola Tsolov will welcome Léon winning races, as it stops the likes of Mini and Camara taking the biggest scores.
Of course Tsolov will still need to pick up his results, but Léon being in the mix could be very helpful for the Bulgarian.
A celebration sombrero ??
Noel León became the first Mexican driver to win a Formula 2 Feature Race in Budapest ???#F2 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/cnYN7fzTpj
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 26, 2026
Image Credit – Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty
