Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have only just had their 2027 seats at Racing Bulls guaranteed, but the energy drinks firm has clearly placed Nikola Tsolov as its next driver off the conveyer belt.
Racing Bulls ended speculation over Lawson’s future this week by tying him down to a 2027 seat, alongside rookie Lindblad, who was always expected to remain in place.
Racing Bulls has, in its various iterations, been a training ground for Red Bull, dating back to the company’s acquisition and rebranding of Minardi in 2005.
But retaining Lawson shows a softening of the hard taskmaster approach undertaken by former junior leader Helmut Marko, opting to reward the New Zealander for his excellent season, which has led to Racing Bulls being on the brink of its highest-ever finish in the standings.
Nevertheless, Red Bull has already placed Lawson and Lindblad on alert moving forwards, after handing Tsolov a dual role in 2027.
Tsolov has taken six Formula 2 victories this year and remains firmly in contention for the crown, alongside Haas’ 2027 signing and São Paulo GP debutant Rafael Câmara, whose participation in the remaining rounds is TBC.
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Nikola Tsolov in his FP1 debut in Mexico City.
He made his FP1 debut for Racing Bulls in Mexico City, and now the 19-year-old will be the reserve driver for both of Red Bull’s teams in 2027.
Tsolov will also undertake extensive simulator duties, have a TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] program, and be tasked with tire testing duties.
“Nikola is an exceptionally talented young driver, and we have been hugely impressed by his development and performances over the past few years,” said Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies.
“We have enormous belief in Nikola’s potential and see him as a driver with a very exciting future in F1. This appointment reflects our confidence in him and our commitment to his continued development. Our focus in 2027 will be on giving him the experience, tools and support he needs to be ready to race in F1 next.”
The dual role also leaves Tsolov well-placed to fulfill the FP1 rookie obligations for both teams in 2027, which could mean as many as eight outings.
“My ambition is clear: I want to become an F1 driver,” said Tsolov.
“Having the opportunity to spend next year preparing for that next step is incredibly exciting. I’m confident that with the team’s support and experience, I’ll have the best possible preparation to make sure I’m fully ready to take the next step onto the F1 grid when the time comes.”
U.K.-based Phillip Horton started covering Grands Prix while still at university and swiftly deemed that writing about Formula 1 and the behind-the-scenes machinations was much more engaging than reading centuries-old novels. Degree gained, he went on to cover the sport full-time from 2014 and is as intrigued and excited by the destinations Formula 1 visits during its lengthy annual world tour as the racing itself. Phillip joined Autoweek in 2021 and while he has just about learned to spell in American English he has yet to find anywhere in America that makes a proper cup of tea.