Teenage Red Bull star gets 'incredible' first F1 test as Racing Bulls rumours swirl

Tsolov in FIA Formula 2 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Teenage Red Bull star gets 'incredible' first F1 test as Racing Bulls rumours swirl

The Red Bull pipeline is flowing again!

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Friday 28 August 2026 12:35

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Young Red Bull phenom Nikola Tsolov has completed his first day's running in an F1 car, as rumours swirl about his future.

The 19-year-old, who has been linked with a promotion to one of the two Racing Bulls seats for next year, took part in a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) day on Thursday, running the Racing Bulls car driven by Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson last year.

Cars used in TPC tests have historically had to be at least two years old, but the vast difference between 2025 and 2026 spec cars means that requirement has been waived this year.

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Tsolov, the current F2 championship leader, got in a hefty 690km at Imola, calling the experience 'something I've been working towards my whole life'.

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Tsolov: F1 test 'pretty incredible'

While it's not clear that Racing Bulls want to move on from either of their 2026 drivers for next year – with the likely victim being Liam Lawson, rather than impressive rookie Avrid Lindblad – the word around the sport is that Tsolov is next in line when that decision is eventually made.

While Lawson has outdriven Lindblad this year, outscoring the 19-year-old 49 points to 23 coming out of the Dutch Grand Prix, the New Zealander has now driven for the team for significant stretches of four separate seasons without separating himself to the point of being made Max Verstappen's long-time Red Bull team-mate.

"First TPC day in a Formula 1 car done, and I’m super happy with how it went," said Tsolov after Thursday's running.

"I really enjoyed every lap, and it’s difficult to put into words what it means to finally get this opportunity. A massive thank you to VCARB and the Red Bull Junior Team for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.

"It’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life, so to finally experience it is pretty incredible. I still don’t think I’ve fully comprehended what we achieved, but I enjoyed every lap, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to add some more kilometres soon."

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