Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has described Nikola Tsolov as the next driver in line for a Formula 1 opportunity. He also confirmed that the team have not decided their 2027 lineup. The two statements place Tsolov in the driver discussion without giving him a race contract.
Tsolov is 19 and leads the Formula 2 standings by 17 points. The Red Bull junior has won four Feature Races this season. Current Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have contracts that expire at the end of 2026.
Permane corrected earlier seat speculation
Reports had suggested that Tsolov already held an offer for a full-time Racing Bulls drive. Permane rejected that interpretation before the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. His later comments gave Tsolov a clear place in the programme but stopped short of an agreement.
Permane described Tsolov as more than a driver on the team’s radar. He used the phrase next in line when discussing the Bulgarian. He did not name a promotion date or connect it to one current driver.
Permane linked the next decision to Tsolov joining team work later in the year. That wording leaves the timing open. Team work and a Formula 1 race seat remain two separate decisions.
Tsolov entered the weekend with four victories in Formula 2 Feature Races. These are the longer races in the category’s weekend format. His results have placed him at the top of the championship.
The lead is 17 points over his nearest rival. Permane also noted that Tsolov had been quickest in Friday practice before the Formula 2 sessions continued at Spa. His recent Silverstone weekend formed part of the same rise.
The Red Bull Junior Team already connects Tsolov with the wider Formula 1 programme. Racing Bulls provide one of the available routes into the championship. Permane’s statement confirms his present order within that route.
Lawson and Lindblad are scoring together
Racing Bulls have recorded four consecutive double-points finishes with Lawson and Lindblad. That run has moved the team into sixth place in the Teams’ Championship. Alpine are only one point ahead.
The current pairing therefore enters the contract discussion with recent results. Both drivers have deals through the end of the season. The team has not announced an extension or replacement for 2027.
Permane said the two drivers were separated by milliseconds on their ideal Friday laps at Spa. He also expected close competition between them during the year. Their performance remains part of the same evaluation as Tsolov’s Formula 2 campaign.
No 2027 lineup decision has been announced
Racing Bulls did not use the Belgian weekend to name either driver for next season. Permane kept the current Racing Bulls seats unchanged in this update. Tsolov is first in the junior queue, while Lawson and Lindblad remain the current drivers.
In Formula 3, Jin Nakamura recorded his first victory at Spa.
| Driver | Nikola Tsolov, 19 |
|---|---|
| Formula 2 lead | 17 points |
| Feature Race wins | Four |
| 2027 status | No Racing Bulls lineup decision |
Lawson and Lindblad remain the race drivers for the current championship. Tsolov remains in Formula 2 and continues to lead its standings. Those roles are unchanged by the comments.
The update contained no factory, simulator or track schedule for Tsolov. Permane did not announce a test programme in the quoted update. The available information covers only Tsolov’s standing and the absence of a lineup decision.
The season provides two separate sets of results
Tsolov’s results are recorded in Formula 2: a 17-point lead and four Feature Race wins. Lawson and Lindblad’s results belong to Formula 1: four straight double-points finishes for Racing Bulls.
These records explain why no immediate choice was announced. The junior driver has built a strong case in his category. The current drivers are also adding points in theirs.
Permane’s update sets the confirmed position at Spa. Tsolov is next in line within the programme. Racing Bulls have not selected their 2027 lineup, and no full-time seat has been promised.
His current record is centred on Formula 2
Tsolov is 19 and leads the Formula 2 standings by 17 points. He has won four Feature Races during the season. Those results form the current sporting basis for his place in the Red Bull programme.
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane described Tsolov as next in line. The statement identifies his position among the available junior drivers. Racing Bulls have not announced their 2027 driver pair.
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad hold the current Racing Bulls seats. Their contracts expire at the end of the year. The team has not announced its driver pair for the following season.
Racing Bulls have scored points with both cars in four consecutive events. The team stands sixth in the constructors’ table, one point behind Alpine. Those figures describe the current Formula 1 operation around the junior discussion.
Tsolov’s case rests on a 17-point Formula 2 lead and four Feature Race wins. He remains a Red Bull junior, while Lawson and Lindblad hold the two current Racing Bulls seats and the 2027 driver pair remains unannounced.
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