TSOLOV ACED HIS FIRST F1 TEST. WHAT NOW?
On August 27th, Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov completed his first F1 test with Racing Bulls in Imola. Now he’s eligible to drive in FP1 and aims for a seat in F1 in 2027.
690 kms were enough for Tsolov to prove his worth. After building his confidence with the VCARB 02 and the Imola circuit, he had the opportunity to show both his one-lap pace and his long-run consistency. In his last quali simulation, he even lapped in 1:16.95 (timed manually).
It’s hard to believe that was Nikola Tsolov first test with F1 machinery, as he was close to the limit right from the start. He drove smoothly and aggressively, brushing the gravel a few times, but without ever putting a wheel wrong.
What does the future hold for Tsolov?
As we head into Monza, Tsolov is leading the F2 standings by 20 points. With 5 rounds to go, his main opponents are Alpine’s Gabriele Minì and Ferrari’s Rafael Câmara. They’re both great drivers with great team, but so far they haven’t been able to be as consistent as Tsolov and Campos.
If Tsolov wins the F2 title, it would seem logical for Red Bull to promote him in F1, as it’s always been the case in the past. But things have changed. Whereas Helmut Marko was eager to make room for new talents, the new management at Red Bull allows drivers to grow at their pace.
This means Racing Bulls is tending towards keeping their current lineup. After all, Lindblad is one of the best talents on the grid and Lawson is P9 in the standings, as they’re helping the Faenza-based team to achieve a historic P5 classification in the constructor standings.
In this scenario, Tsolov will likely take on the reserve driver role at Racing Bulls, while possibly racing in Super Formula, as many Red Bull juniors have done in the past. In alternative, if he fails to win the F2 title this year, he could return for a sophomore season.
The Bulgarian Factor
Colapinto showed that the support from the home country can make a huge difference in a driver’s career. Similarly, Tsolov might benefit from having a massive following in Bulgaria.
To put this in numbers, last year over 40.000 fans attended the showrun as Tsolov drove the Red Bull RB7 through the streets of Sofia. And Tsolov was still in F3.
It’s easy to imagine Red Bull is studying carefully the commercial benefits of having a Bulgarian driver in F1.
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