Tsolov Tops Interrupted Free Practice as Formula 2 Discovers the Madring

The championship leader set a 1:47.059 in Madrid’s first Formula 2 session, edging a Van Amersfoort Racing one-two behind him after a red-flag stoppage left only a frantic final run.

Formula 2’s first laps at the Madring were never going to be tidy. On a brand-new street circuit none of the field had raced before, the 45-minute Free Practice session became a race against the clock — and then against the stoppage board.

Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov emerged fastest with a 1:47.059, 0.110 seconds clear of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Nico Varrone. Teammate Rafael Villagómez completed a VAR one-two-three on the timesheet, 0.027 seconds further back. The order was decided in a compressed late scramble after ART Grand Prix’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak crashed at Turn 19 and brought out the red flag with around 31 minutes remaining.

First contact with an unknown circuit

The session went green at 11:05 local time, giving 22 drivers their only real-world look at Madrid before Qualifying later on Friday. Unlike Formula 3, which tested at the venue in August, Formula 2 arrived cold: walls close to the line, demanding kerbs, and the banked signature of La Monumental waiting in Sector 2.

AIX Racing’s Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. set the first marker, a cautious 2:09.388. Times tumbled as confidence grew. PREMA’s Mari Boya improved to a 2:02.089 before Fittipaldi produced the first major step with a 1:51.742. By the mid-session window, ART’s Kush Maini held the benchmark at 1:49.120 from Invicta’s Joshua Dürksen on a 1:49.430, with Fittipaldi and Colton Herta next and Tsolov fifth on a 1:50.065.

Turn 19 red flag cuts the learning short

That progress stopped hard when Inthraphuvasak hit the wall at Turn 19. His ART Grand Prix car caught fire after the impact. The Thai driver climbed out and moved behind the barriers while marshals extinguished the flames and Race Control halted the session for recovery and barrier work.

The interruption was costly on a weekend where mileage is currency. The clock kept running during the stoppage, shrinking the already single Practice window. When the session resumed at 11:48 local time, officials extended the finish to 11:55 — roughly seven minutes for a final push.

“It will be a big challenge for everyone because with the little amount of track time we have and it being a street track where no one’s driven before, preparation will be super important.” — Mari Boya, PREMA Racing (pre-event)

Seven minutes that rewrote the order

The restart was frantic. Rodin’s Alex Dunne jumped to the top on a 1:48.286, with DAMS’ Dino Beganovic close behind before Tsolov answered. Herta, Villagómez, van Hoepen and Varrone then traded tenths in a cascade of purple sectors. Tsolov’s decisive 1:47.059 sealed the session.

Maini briefly flashed a 1:46.751 near the chequered flag, but the lap was deleted and he finished 13th on a 1:48.488. Moments later, Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen hit the barriers, ending any chance of further meaningful improvements. He still held sixth overall.

What it means ahead of Qualifying

For Tsolov, topping the first Madring timesheet is a statement more than a prediction — Practice form on a new street circuit can evaporate once Qualifying rubber and traffic arrive. Still, the championship leader leaves the morning with clean data and the psychological edge of being fastest when it mattered most.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s double presence behind him is the clearest early signal of the session: Varrone and Villagómez were both inside three tenths of Tsolov. Herta and Dunne completed a competitive top five, while Gabriele Minì and Rafael Câmara — third and second in the championship — ended ninth and tenth, close enough to suggest the afternoon will be tighter than the headline gap implies.

Inthraphuvasak finished last of the 22 on a 1:52.432 after the crash cut his running short. Qualifying later on Friday will be the first true measure of who translated limited Practice mileage into a single flying lap.

Madrid has already shown its teeth. The next exam is the grid.