Reports on where Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov will be in 2027 are pulling in different directions. In July Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane called him "next in line", fuelling talk of promotion, but last week the New Zealand Herald reported that the likelier plan is a reserve role for Tsolov alongside a Super Formula campaign. The balance now appears to be tipping towards Liam Lawson keeping his seat.
Credibility: medium — First reported by: the "next in line" remark by Grande Prêmio (Giovanni Danzo, 22 July); the reserve-plus-Super Formula plan by the New Zealand Herald (republished by GPFans on 19 September). Picked up by: PlanetF1, GPFans, Velocity News and others. Response: Permane denied any decision had been made, calling it "too early, a nice problem to have"; Tsolov said "nothing has been discussed yet". In one line: both reports lean on comments from the team but point in opposite directions, so neither can be treated as settled.
From 'next in line' to 'a nice problem to have'
According to Grande Prêmio, Permane said of Tsolov at Spa in July that "it's fair to say he's next in line", while cautioning that the timing was uncertain and no decision had been made for 2027. At that point Tsolov led F2 by 27 points from Gabriele Minì, and Lawson had 39 points after ten rounds. Tsolov was guarded when PlanetF1 (Jamie Woodhouse) spoke to him on 7 August: "Nothing yet. It'll have to be after the summer break," he said, adding that his simulator experience amounted to "one day at the factory". Lawson would only say that "those conversations usually happen around the summer break". Sky F1's Anthony Davidson reportedly said Racing Bulls engineers had been "hugely impressed" by Tsolov's simulator work.
September: the reserve-plus-Super Formula plan emerges
In a PlanetF1 article on 11 September Permane said there was "no pressure to announce next year's plans yet", that there were three strong options, and that Tsolov was "in our thinking". Tsolov had also completed a 690km test in an F1 car at Imola, and said his "full focus is still on F2" but that he would be ready for the chance "if and when it comes". Then on 19 September GPFans, citing the New Zealand Herald, reported that the likelier plan was to give Tsolov a Racing Bulls reserve and test role in 2027 alongside a season in Japan's Super Formula – the same path Lawson took after finishing F2 in 2023. GPFans ran it under the headline "Lawson's future decided", but in the same article Permane said only: "It's too early for us. Nikola is definitely in our thinking and he's having an incredible season. It's a nice problem to have." GPFans added that Tsolov's plans for next year remain unconfirmed.
The two drivers in numbers
Tsolov leads F2 in his debut season with Campos Racing on 177 points and six wins, four of them in feature races. If he wins the title, the rules bar him from staying in F2 the following year, which brings forward the moment Red Bull has to decide where to put him. Lawson is ninth in the drivers' championship on 59 points and spent three races at Red Bull Racing as Max Verstappen's team-mate, standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar. Lawson said switching between the two teams was "not ideal", as the two cars are "very different". With rookie Arvid Lindblad holding the other seat, there is only one place available. There is still no official word from Racing Bulls ahead of Saturday's Azerbaijan GP.
Sources
- GPFans — F1 News: Red Bull 'make plans for Nikola Tsolov as Liam Lawson future decided'
- Grande Prêmio — Racing Bulls confirms Nikola Tsolov Formula 1 promotion: "He is next in line"
- PlanetF1 — Liam Lawson future: Racing Bulls 'under no pressure' as Nikola Tsolov features in thoughts
- PlanetF1 — Nikola Tsolov addresses Racing Bulls rumours as Liam Lawson's F1 2027 seat comes into focus