'Next in line' Red Bull junior provides update on F1 future

Nikola Tsolov has "no doubt" he will get an opportunity in F1 if he continues to show the form that has led him to the summit of the F2 drivers' standings.

The Bulgarian driver is in his rookie season in Formula 1's most senior support category, but holds a 20-point advantage over Gabriele Mini at the top of the table.

As a Red Bull junior, if Tsolov gets a chance in F1, it will most likely be with Racing Bulls. He has been part of the energy drinks manufacturer-backed programme since 2025, having previously been on the books at Alpine.

He ascended to FIA Formula 3 in 2023, and won five times at that level before his F2 debut as a stand-in for now-Formula E driver Pepe Marti at the final two rounds of last season.

Although he is yet to have an FP1 outing and does not currently hold an FIA Super Licence, Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has labelled Tsolov "next in line" within the Red Bull family and has confirmed that he is "on the radar" for a role with the team.

When asked over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend if he had been told anything about his future yet, the 19-year-old shared his confidence in the situation — so long as he can keep delivering on track.

"Nothing yet, unfortunately," he told Sky Sports F1. "But it's still early days. We need to get through the summer break.

"I need to keep doing what I'm doing; obviously, I have no doubt that if everything goes the same way, I surely will get an opportunity one day."

Earlier in the campaign, there was a flurry of unfounded speculation that the decision had already been made, and that he would race for Racing Bulls in 2027. But those reports were premature at best.

Tsolov, however, is not letting that prospect distract him, and is keeping his focus locked on the immediate task at hand, triumphing in the F2 drivers' championship.

"So for me, that's important," he added. "I focus on the current, which is F2, and obviously, the better I do today in F2, the more chance I give myself."