No space for Tsolov – F2 star may have to wait for F1 opportunity.

Nikola Tsolov is the latest addition to a long line of Red Bull junior talents waiting for a chance to partner Max Verstappen in Formula One.

Feature image credit: Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool

The Bulgarian driver has enjoyed a fantastic F2 season so far and leads the championship by 20 points. In regular circumstances, a seat in F1 with the b-team, Racing Bulls, would be almost a guarantee for 2027.

However, with the unusual lack of activity in this year’s silly season, Tsolov’s chance may have to wait a bit longer until a space becomes available.

It was only a week ago that the 19-year-old had been testing an F1 car for the first time. Tsolov got his first experience with last year’s Racing Bull’s car at a TPC (testing of previous cars) event at Imola last Wednesday.

It is clear that the Red Bull management are eager to get Tsolov into F1 sooner rather than later, but making space for the youngster might be more challenging than originally thought.

Lawson too good to be dropped?

The most likely avenue for Nikola Tsolov joining F1 next year was replacing Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls. Lawson has already had an opportunity at Red Bull and seems to be out of favour for a drive at the senior team.

However, Liam’s drives so far in 2026 have been mightily impressive, and the Kiwi currently sits 9th in the drivers standings with 49 points. Rumours that Lawson may leave to join another midfield team have since come and gone, with seats at Alpine and Williams closing as many teams have opted to stick with their current line-ups.

Whilst Red Bull have been known for making tough decisions in the past, it’s difficult to believe that the current management would drop Lawson or rookie Arvind Lindblad with the team currently sitting 5th – their highest constructors’ position in the team’s history.

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Hadjar under pressure?

After Liam Lawson’s impressive return to Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix, replacing the injured Isack Hadjar, fan rumours have begun emerging that the 2nd Red Bull seat may still be available.

Despite performing far better than his previous teammates to Max Verstappen, Hadjar has still struggled at times this season, and only sits 19 points ahead of Liam in the junior car. If Lawson was promoted back to Red Bull, Nikola Tsolov’s chance at Racing Bulls could once again become open.

Hadjar would likely be pushed into a reserve driver role, similarly to his predecessor Yuki Tsunoda.

Verdict

Despite all the possibilities for next year, if the current driver market trend is anything to go by, expect little to no movement at Red Bull next year. Due to F2’s rule that champions cannot return to the category once they win it, it is likely that Tsolov will have to spend a year on the sidelines next year as Red Bull’s reserve driver.

There may be concerns that Tsolov could fall into the same fate as other F2 winners like Theo Pouchaire and Felipe Drugovich, who never got their chance after winning the junior title. However, current McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri had to wait a year after winning his F2 title in 2021 and is now enjoying his 4th season at McLaren since debuting in 2023.

Tsolov will need to hope that his journey follows a similar pattern.

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Sam Wye

Sam Wye