Round 14 post Sprint Race press conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello and welcome to Abu Dhabi where it’s time for the post-Sprint Race press conference with our top three finishers. In third place, we have Nikola Tsolov from Campos Racing. In second, Joshua Duerksen for AIX Racing and your winner tonight, Arvid Lindblad from Campos Racing. Arvid congratulations, your third win of the year but Joshua didn’t let you rest for that one.

Arvid Lindblad: No, it wasn’t easy. I think we were really good the first half of the race and then I didn’t manage everything perfectly. I gave Joshua a bit of a sniff in the second part of the race. A few things to work on but good enough for the win.

FIA Formula 2: Talking of managing, tell us how hard it is to judge your pace as the lead car when you know you aren’t going to make a pit stop and you’ve got to get the pace right until the end. Lindblad: You want to manage as much as you can to a point where you don’t get passed. Josh was pushing a lot in the first five laps, so I had to push a lot as well, otherwise I’d get passed. So he was kind of my reference as to what I needed to do.

FIA Formula 2: Were you looking in your mirrors a lot of the time for that?

Lindblad: Yeah, enough that I don’t get passed.

FIA Formula 2: A win today, a confirmed F1 drive earlier in the week, it must have been a fun visit to Abu Dhabi so far this week?

Lindblad: Yeah it’s been good. It was very nice that the news came out on Tuesday. Obviously very excited for next year. The result has been good today but it’s still a Saturday. We are looking forward to tomorrow because that is where the real points are.

FIA Formula 2: Well congratulations. Joshua, congratulations, another podium for you. You made it really tense in those closing laps getting closer there, were you considering a lunge on Arvid in the final lap there?

Joshua Duerksen: I was thinking about it, but Arvid has done a really good job. I think we were both really quick. I have good memories here, so I know the car is quick. I know we have the pace here. I was really thinking about it. If I would have been a bit closer for sure I would have sent it.

FIA Formula 2: We had a couple of virtual Safety Car periods in that race. On both occasions it looked like just as you were getting a bit closer, did they help or hurt you in that race do you think?

Duerksen: They hurt me, sadly they hurt me. Especially on the second Virtual Safety Car restart I was catching up to Arvid and after that we created a gap again. Then I caught up again, but they were not really beneficial this time. I hope if something happens like this tomorrow that they benefit me.

FIA Formula 2: You’ve had a run of form, you’ve had at least one podium on each of the last four race weekends to end the season. Just how pleased are you with the way you are closing out the year?

Duerksen: It’s really good. This is where AIX and I should be. Of course I want to make podiums as well in the Feature Race, I am doing too many podiums in the Sprint. I think it is time to make them in the Feature Race. I think I have too many P2 caps, I really want the P1 tomorrow. Let’s see, last year I started P8, I am starting tomorrow P8 as well. I won the race last year so I hope that I can replicate that as well.

FIA Formula 2: Good luck tomorrow. Nikola congratulations. Only your third F2 start and already on the podium, how does that feel?

Nikola Tsolov: Yeah, it feels good. I was expecting to be on the podium in Qatar as well in the Sprint but it's finally good to have it here. The race was definitely tough, I dropped a little bit from these two, but I managed to keep a good enough pace to stay in third. I am happy to just get over the podium goal and focus on the rest.

FIA Formula 2: You mentioned how strong you were in Qatar, were you expecting to be on the pace so quickly against a field that has largely done the whole season?

Tsolov: Yes and no because I thought I was well prepared, and I had a lot of confidence in myself. Obviously, my expectations were high, so I wasn’t fully satisfied even with seventh in Qatar. But then looking back after the weekend I thought, well these guys have done 12 rounds, and they know the car very well and I just step in for the first time, on Soft tyres as well, and did seventh. I don’t think overall I have the pace as much as they do so far, but I think it has been a really positive start. Also looking at past results from other people who have done the past two rounds jumping in straight away. I am happy with that. In the end my goal is next year.

FIA Formula 2: I know you have a race tomorrow to get more learning with Campos, but how excited does a start like this make you for 2026?

Tsolov: Yeah, it’s making me excited. I think there is definelty stuff to work on in both departments, me and the car to be able to fight constantly in the top three for every Quali like Fornaroli did this year. That’s going to be our goal. There is still a bit of stuff to improve. In the beginning of the race, I thought I was going to push but I still got dropped so year there is something to find.

FIA Formula 2: Well congratulations, thanks all.