Nikola Tsolov on a Tough Weekend in Hungary, the Season So Far, and What's Next

"It had been a long time since we had a bad weekend, but we knew that moment would eventually come. Unfortunately, taking too many risks on Saturday cost us a few points, and the penalty we received for today really set us back," Tsolov commented on Sunday evening. "We could have easily scored 15-16 points, but we left with only six. Yesterday was tough to swallow, but ultimately, I'm glad it happened at this point, because it's part of the learning process. I had, so to speak, a buffer to make this mistake, learn from it, and improve for the rest of the year. This can only motivate me." "I'm also pleased that we made a respectable comeback today after yesterday's disappointment. In a sense, since we've done the hard work so far, there's never a good time for a bad weekend, but again, it's part of the learning process." "For me, what's important is how quickly you can get back on your feet and turn a negative into a positive. That was the hard part yesterday." "As long as you put in the hard work overnight and in the morning, the race is the easy part, because that's something you should already have automatically within you." "Today, the odds were somewhat against us in terms of strategy and other things. We didn't get many opportunities to make up ground, so we had to do most of the work on track." "But overtakes here are almost impossible. To overtake five cars after being involved in a first-lap incident where I lost three places, I think that's the maximum we could have achieved. The pace was also good, so honestly, I feel quite positive." "The car didn't feel too bad after the incident, so I think it was fine. Even if I had damage, it certainly didn't slow me down. We knew the soft tires would last quite well. When temperatures are high, softer compounds usually perform better compared to harder ones." "That's because you slide less and overheat them less. I think that's the main reason, and when it's cold, you get graining." "Today, on a hot day, we knew the soft tires would last longer, perhaps that was a mistake. We stayed out a bit longer on the medium tires." "We couldn't pit early to undercut the cars ahead of us on the same strategy because we wanted to wait and see if there would be a safety car, as I would have come out in second position." "We took that risk, but obviously, luck wasn't entirely on our side today. But that's okay. We're saving it for better times." "The season has been great so far. It's incredible that we've already completed nine rounds. It didn't feel long because we had many back-to-back races. But looking back, I see so many positives." "I've learned a lot; there have been so many good and bad moments, emotions in both directions. I'm still leading by 20 points, so now I can really take a break and rest a bit. I think this break, to process everything that has happened, will be beneficial for me. I believe I can come back stronger than ever, and that's what I'll be aiming for," concluded the 'Bulgarian Lion'.