Red Bull star Nikola Tsolov set for F1 drive as Liam Lawson uncertainty lingers

Red Bull junior star Nikola Tsolov is set for his next F1 opportunity, with the F2 championship leader set for another testing of previous cars (TPC) run as Liam Lawson's future at Racing Bulls remains unconfirmed.

Tsolov's test comes at a time when there is plenty of speculation over who could be racing for Racing Bulls full-time in F1 next season, with the Bulgarian driver believed to be a contender to replace Lawson and partner Arvid Lindblad, though he too is also unconfirmed at this stage.

Tsolov has been building up his F1 experience throughout the year, completing a TPC test at Imola back in August, as well as running for Racing Bulls in FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix in October.

Now, Tsolov looks set to get a taste of F1 machinery at the Hungaroring, with RN365 reporting that he will take to the track on Wednesday and Thursday in a Honda-powered car.

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It is unclear if this test is being carried out with an eye to giving Tsolov another chance to impress to get a drive for 2027, or whether it is simply continuing to build his experience ahead of when an F1 opportunity arises.

Speaking at last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane insisted that the team were taking their time over confirming their lineup and trying to learn from previous mistakes.

“Sometimes, the drivers haven’t had enough time to settle or some snap decisions have been made," Permane said. "We’re trying to apply a little bit of science and that takes some time.

"So, we are looking at everything, studying, analysing and time is on our side – we’re not in a rush to do anything and I’m confident that the right decision will be made.

"I realise it’s frustrating for our drivers, I realise it’s frustrating for anyone else, but we want to get it right and we will get it right. I’m sure when we announce it in the coming weeks, everyone will be happy.”

For now then, Lawson must wait, and he has even admitted that he doesn't know what else he can do to prove his worth to the team.

He's got a point, too. The Kiwi sits ninth in the drivers' standings on 89 points following another strong performance in Brazil, where he qualified P5 (started P3 due to penalties) and secured P5 in the race in tricky conditions.

That makes him the highest-ranked driver outside of the top four teams, and that's by some distance given he is 47 points clear of Pierre Gasly in P10 and 49 clear of team-mate Lindblad in P11.

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