Nikola Tsolov will drive in his first official F1 session in Mexico City. Image: VCARB
The 19-year-old Bulgarian will drive Lawson’s VCARB 03 in Friday’s opening practice session, marking his first appearance on an F1 grand prix weekend.
The opportunity comes as Racing Bulls considers its driver pairing for next season, with neither Lawson nor rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad formally confirmed for 2027.
Tsolov has been linked to a possible promotion to the team, having established himself as a Formula 2 title challenger with Campos Racing. He is currently second in the championship, seven points behind Haas-bound Rafael Camara with two rounds remaining.
Tsolov has already driven for Racing Bulls in a private test at Imola in August, completing 143 laps in the team’s 2025 car.
He joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2025, the same year he finished runner-up in Formula 3, having previously won the 2022 Spanish F4 title.
“Following my test with the team at Imola in August, I’m excited to take this next step, build on that experience and learn more about the car and the current regulations,” Tsolov said.
“I’ll focus on making the most of the session, working closely with the team and providing useful feedback.”
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said the practice appearance was part of the team’s efforts to develop emerging drivers within Red Bull’s junior system.
“Having already worked with Nikola at Imola, we’re looking forward to seeing him build on that experience in Mexico and to the feedback he can provide to help support our preparations for the weekend,” he said.
The appearance also helps Racing Bulls meet the requirement for each car to be driven by an eligible rookie in at least two practice sessions during the season.
Permane indicated earlier this month that a decision on the team’s 2027 line-up would be made in the coming weeks, while acknowledging the difficulty of choosing between three drivers for two seats.
Lawson has continued to build his case on track, scoring points in 13 races this season to sit ninth in the drivers’ championship with 77 points, making him the highest-placed driver outside the top four teams.
The New Zealander has also played an important role in helping Racing Bulls climb to fifth in the constructors’ championship, with the team chasing the first top-five finish in its history.
Lawson also spent three races with Red Bull earlier this season while Isack Hadjar recovered from a wrist injury.
His performances have drawn wide support from throughout the F1 paddock, with Sky Sports F1’s Naomi Schiff and 2009 world champion Jenson Button recently adding their voices for him to retain his seat.
“I think that if RB have made a decision already to replace him, or if they’re still considering replacing him, I think they should think again,” Schiff said.
Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, however, believes Tsolov should replace Lawson, pointing to the philosophy of developing young drivers championed by Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
“In keeping with this philosophy, the difficult decision between Liam Lawson and Nikola Tsolov at Racing Bulls should actually go in Tsolov’s favour,” he said.
Tsolov will be one of 10 substitute drivers taking part in Mexico City FP1, as several teams look to fulfil their mandatory rookie practice requirements for the season.
Max Verstappen will hand his Red Bull to Ayumu Iwasa, McLaren’s Lando Norris will make way for Leonardo Fornaroli and Mercedes’ George Russell will be replaced by Frederik Vesti.
Audi will give Formula 3 runner-up Freddie Slater his first official F1 practice outing in Gabriel Bortoleto’s car, while Luke Browning will replace Alex Albon at Williams and Ryo Hirakawa will drive Esteban Ocon’s Haas.
Colton Herta will also have another run for Cadillac, Jak Crawford for Aston Martin and Gabriele Mini will make his practice debut, with Ferrari the only team retaining both its regular drivers for the session.
FP1 for the Mexico City Grand Prix gets underway at 5.30am AEDT Saturday.