F1 Daily: Middle East Races Get the Green Light, Tsolov Participates in TPC, and More F3 Signing

The Formula 1 triple-header season finale might push through after all. Nikola Tsolov is pushing harder to get an F1 seat next year. And more youngsters are getting signed in Formula 3.

It's not a race weekend, but it's not a slow news day in the F1 community.

After months of putting Imola on standby and covering for their Grand Prix preparations, Formula 1 has moved on from the Imola plans and is pushing through with the Middle East races. This means that the sport's planned triple-header season finale (Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi) will push through as previously planned.

However, if security and safety concerns in the Middle East heighten in the next two weeks, Las Vegas could serve as the season-ending race in 2026. So far, those security concerns haven't happened yet, particularly when the MotoGP completed its own Qatar round at Lusail last weekend.

After participating in Free Practice 1 in Mexico City, Nikola Tsolov is reportedly taking part in a TPC session at the Hungaroring on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The young Bulgarian driver is rumored to be in the running for a Racing Bulls seat next year, with Liam Lawson as his fiercest competition.

Tsolov is also in the hunt for the Formula 2 championship this year. He's trailing Rafael Camara by only seven points, although it's unclear whether Camara will continue with his F2 campaign. The Brazilian driver raced for the TGR Haas F1 Team last weekend in Interlagos, and it's expected that he will also drive for them in the remaining three races.

On the other hand, F2 still has two more races left on its calendar, namely in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari Driver Academy’s Salim Hanna makes his full-time F3 debut, and Mattia Colnaghi moves to Campos. Trident signed Formula Regional Middle East champion Kean Nakamura-Berta (Williams academy) and Sebastian Wheldon (Andretti).

However, things remain uncertain with Ugo Ugochukwu, the young American who won the F3 Drivers' Championship this year. The most realistic path for him is to transition to F2, and earn his Super Licence points to get into F1 at least a couple of years from now.

The third and final round of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) program is in, and the results remain the same. Red Bull-Ford is still the benchmark Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), with Mercedes 2-4% behind, and Ferrari, Audi, and Honda over 4% behind.

It's a tremendous feat for Red Bull-Ford, as they're only in their first year of manufacturing their own engines.