Nikola Tsolov soon to take Liam Lawson’s seat? Here’s what the Racing Bulls driver has to say

Nikola Tsolov, the young Bulgarian, continues to prove time and again that he is one of the most promising racing talents around. Most recently, the teenager celebrated three consecutive Formula 2 victories at Spielberg and Silverstone. He leads the championship – often described as the stepping stone to the top flight – by 17 points ahead of his more experienced rival, Gabriele Mini.

Consequently, more and more Grand Prix observers are assuming that Tsolov will compete in Formula 1 next year. And as the 19-year-old is part of the Red Bull Junior Team, it stands to reason that he will get his first Grand Prix opportunity with the Racing Bulls team, where rising stars from the Red Bull youth academy are always given their first chance.

The team is currently fielded by the strong rookie Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, who has already contested 44 Grands Prix, two of them for the Red Bull Racing team, which decided after the 2025 season opener that it would rather put Yuki Tsunoda in the cockpit.

The experts are in agreement: if one of the two Racing Bulls drivers has to vacate his seat for Tsolov, it will be Lawson – even though he has impressed with five consecutive top-10 finishes. What does the New Zealander have to say about these rumours? “To be honest, I’ve never really thought about it,” he explains.

“Of course, the summer break is roughly the time when you start thinking about next year, and that’s not upon us yet – we still have two races to go before then. That’s why I’m currently focusing entirely on doing what’s required of me,” asserts the 24-year-old.

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“I haven’t been in the sport for that long, but long enough to know how things work here and that some things get blown out of proportion, so I don’t dwell on it too much,” adds the current tenth-placed driver in the World Championship defiantly.