Racing Bulls responds to Nikola Tsolov rumours as Liam Lawson future questioned

Peter Bayer has denied speculation that Nikola Tsolov is guaranteed a Racing Bulls F1 drive next season, with the F2 driver linked to Liam Lawson’s seat.

Although Lawson leads teammate Arvid Lindblad 39 points to 20 in the Drivers’ Championship, the New Zealander’s start-stop time on the Formula 1 grid has led to rumours that if Racing Bulls was to replace a driver next season, it would be Lawson.

Peter Bayer dismisses Nikola Tsolov Racing Bulls rumours

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Lawson made his Formula 1 debut in 2023 as a substitute driver after Daniel Ricciardo, before returning to the cockpit in late 2024 for a six-race audition. The seat up for grabs? Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen.

Although he did enough to impress the team, landing the coveted 2025 drive, Lawson was demoted to Racing Bulls after two races, where he set about establishing himself as a regular points-scorer.

But despite scoring in seven of the season’s nine Grands Prix and never once losing to Lindblad, Lawson is said to be the driver who could be under threat come the end of the season from Red Bull junior Tsolov.

Liam Lawson v Arvid Lindblad: Racing Bulls F1 2026 scores

F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates

F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

Tsolov is in the running for a promotion to Formula 1, as the 19-year-old leads the championship after securing six victories in seven race weekends.

For now, though, he doesn’t have the necessary super licence points.

But that is something Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer wants to rectify in the coming months.

“We’re currently considering having him do TPC test, because he needs a licence to drive in Friday practice sessions,” Bayer told Sky F1.

“He’s still lacking a few kilometres. And we’re planning that for the autumn.”

To date, Tsolov’s only Formula One experience has been driving a Red Bull RB7 during a Sofia demonstration run.

The 19-year-old therefore needs laps, as well as his points in the junior series, to qualify for the necessary licence.

As things stand, says Bayer, rumours that he will be in a Racing Bulls F1 car next season are premature.

“Those are just rumours,” he insisted.

“He’s doing a brilliant job and is a huge talent whom we naturally have on our radar.

“But we’ve only had seven races so far, and Liam and Arvid are doing just as brilliant a job. So it’s not even on the cards at the moment.”

On his side, Lawson says it is too early to talk about the F1 2027 season.

“It’s honestly not even something I’ve really thought about,” Lawson said of his future and speculation of a rise by Tsolov when asked by PlanetF1.com at Silverstone.

“Obviously, summer breaks will be a time where things are heavily considered, and I think we have a few more races until then. So, at the moment, I’m just focused on continuing to do what we’ve been doing.

“It’s been obviously working very well recently, and it’d be nice to go into that summer break with another good couple of races, but I think with Formula 1, I haven’t been here that long, but I’ve been here long enough to see how things get stirred up, and it’s not really something I’ve been thinking about.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

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

Read Next: Toto Wolff names Ferrari as Mercedes’ biggest F1 title threat after Silverstone