Red Bull junior declared ‘next in line’ for possible Racing Bulls seat
Nikola Tsolov has opened up a 27-point lead in the F2 standings.
Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov has been declared “next in line” for a Formula 1 seat by Racing Bulls team principal, Alan Permane.
The Bulgarian sits top of the Formula 2 standings by 27 points, making him favourite for the feeder series title as it passes its halfway stage of the season.
Red Bull junior Tsolov ‘on the radar’ over Racing Bulls seat
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Tsolov has catapulted himself clear at the top of the championship with six wins so far this season, including a feature and sprint race double at Silverstone, and has caught the eye with Red Bull’s Formula 1 teams as a result.
The 19-year-old is currently below the fateful 40-point threshold to earn an FIA Super Licence to race in Formula 1, but finishing in the top five in the standings would ensure he has the points he needs, and other avenues on the junior ladder would be available to the Bulgarian to gain the required points if needed.
Tsolov joined the Red Bull programme in 2025 after several years with Alpine, and he has carried the form that took him to second place in Formula 3 last season through to F2.
While Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have both impressed with their performances so far at Racing Bulls, as Red Bull’s junior team, attention is always on the next generation.
“He’s doing incredibly well,” Permane told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media at Spa when asked about Tsolov.
“He’s now leading the championship after his great weekend at Silverstone, so to say he’s on the radar would be a little bit of an understatement.
“He’s next in line, I think it’s fair to say. When that’ll be, I don’t know, honestly, and definitely, and it’s not an untruth to say we’re not thinking about him at the moment.
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“He’s there. He’s doing his job, we’re doing our job, and we’ll make a call on whether – if and when – he comes up to Racing Bulls later this year, I’m sure.”
As for the team’s current driver line-up, while Lawson has appeared back to form after a shock early demotion from Red Bull last year, Lindblad has also taken well to life in Formula 1 so far.
The two have been involved in several close on-track battles at recent races, not least coming out of the pit lane almost side-by-side at Spa, Lindblad with an unyielding defence against Lawson at Les Combes on this occasion.
Pressed on what may happen next season, Permane reiterated the team’s overriding mission.
“That’s the goal of both our guys for sure, and the goal of mine and our team is to develop drivers for that team [Red Bull,” he said.
“I think going into specifics is far more a question for Laurent [Mekies], but I think we need to put them both in a position that they’re ready to do that, and if and when Laurent needs another driver, he’s got one or two to choose from.”
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