Tsolov Ahead of Monza: “My Full Focus Is on Formula 2”, While Red Bull Sees Him as Next in Line

Nikola Tsolov arrived at the Monza weekend as the Formula 2 championship leader, but the topic still dominating the paddock is his future at Red Bull. Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane described the Bulgarian in unambiguous terms, saying he is “next in line” when it comes to a promotion within the team.

Permane, however, cooled expectations of a firm timeline, stressing that the team isn’t yet actively discussing the timing of a promotion and will decide “if and when” Tsolov moves up to Racing Bulls later this year.

Tsolov himself remains cautious when it comes to his future. Asked whether he feels ready for Formula 1, the 19-year-old said he definitely believes so if the opportunity arises, but added that his full focus remains on Formula 2, since he still has a season to finish.

On the talks with the team itself, he was direct: no further details have been discussed for now, but he expressed full confidence that Red Bull will make the best decision for his career, as long as he keeps performing strongly.

His form on track gives grounds for that confidence – Tsolov leads the Formula 2 standings by 17 points, has four feature-race wins this season, and recently triumphed at Silverstone. In late August he also completed his first Formula 1 test, driving 690 kilometres with Racing Bulls at Imola during a test session with older-generation cars, describing the experience as surprisingly confidence-inspiring thanks to his simulator preparation.

The real picture for 2027, though, remains complicated – Racing Bulls also need to decide the future of their current drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, whose contracts expire at the end of the season and who are currently performing at a similar level to each other. For that reason, the more likely scenario for now is that Tsolov stays on as the team’s test and reserve driver before landing a race seat.