{"id":633966,"date":"2026-10-18T02:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T02:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/633966\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T02:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T02:48:13","slug":"liam-lawson-and-tsolov-under-f2-boss-microscope-as-f1-2027-decision-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/633966\/","title":{"rendered":"Liam Lawson and Tsolov under F2 boss microscope as F1 2027 decision looms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nikola Tsolov is \u201cready\u201d to join the Formula 1 grid, according to Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel. His verdict comes at a time when Racing Bulls<\/a> is plotting out its F1 2027 line-up.<\/p>\n

However, Michel also points out that Tsolov\u2019s readiness does not mean he will be on the F1 2027 grid, as Liam Lawson and rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad are also on form. Michel said he is glad it is not his decision to make on which two get the seats for next season.<\/p>\n

Nikola Tsolov \u2018ready\u2019 but Liam Lawson delivering<\/p>\n

Racing Bulls has suggested that a decision will be made over the coming weeks on its F1 2027 driver line-up.<\/p>\n

Knowing that three into two doesn\u2019t go, the Red Bull junior F1 team must decide whether it continues with the Lawson<\/a> and Lindblad duo which has lifted the team to fifth in the Constructors\u2019 standings, or, call-up Red Bull\u2019s next-in-line prospect, Nikola Tsolov.<\/p>\n

The Bulgarian is locked in a thrilling F2 title battle with Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, who has recently been announced as an Haas F1 driver from 2027.<\/p>\n

Asked by PlanetF1.com whether he believes Tsolov is ready to graduate to F1, Michel replied: \u201cThe answer is yes. I think he\u2019s ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe answer is not I know he will be in Formula 1 next year, so that\u2019s a different answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yes, I think Nikola is having a great season. I think the fight he\u2019s having with Rafa [Camara] is very, very impressive. They have their ups and downs, both of them, but Nikola is a very spectacular driver and is also very consistent.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, yeah, my answer is he\u2019s very amazing this year, and it\u2019s very good to see that those two drivers are both rookies and both behaving so well in the championship this year. That\u2019s generally a very strong sign of drivers ready to go to Formula 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

The F2 boss was further pressed on Racing Bulls\u2019 driver dilemma for F1 2027. It was put to him that it would be harsh for either Lawson or Lindblad to lose their seat.<\/p>\n

Lawson delivered a statement drive last time out in Singapore, securing P5 in the Sprint and P7 in the Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Michel agrees that there is no weak link, and breathes a sigh of relief that this decision is not on his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say it\u2019s not my place to decide what an F1 team is having as drivers,\u201d Michel stressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really the team principal\u2019s decision, and in this very specific instance, it\u2019s Alan Permane [Racing Bulls team principal], Laurent Mekies [Red Bull team principal], Peter Bayer [Racing Bulls CEO], and they will be the ones deciding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I can say is that when I think a driver is ready, I can say I think he\u2019s ready. After that, maybe they think I\u2019m right, maybe they think I\u2019m wrong. That\u2019s the other thing because nobody has a clear crystal ball for that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think Nikola is having a great season. I think Liam is doing quite good, I agree with you, for the last races, definitely. I think Arvid is doing very well as well.<\/p>\n

More on Liam Lawson from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n

Liam Lawson to make on-stage debut at US Grand Prix<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Bonkers\u2019 Liam Lawson theory rejected ahead of Racing Bulls decision<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSo it will be a difficult choice, and I\u2019m very glad it\u2019s not mine. Let\u2019s put it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n

Read next: Who is Rafael Camara? Meet new Haas driver for F1 2027 season<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nikola Tsolov is \u201cready\u201d to join the Formula 1 grid, according to Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel. His…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":633967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1463,5704,111,43,139,310598,69,20114,213],"class_list":["post-633966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-home-page","tag-liam-lawson","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nikola-tsolov","tag-nz","tag-racing-bulls","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}