F2 Championship Leader Nikola Tsolov has been named “next in line” to make his Formula 1 debut as a Red Bull junior.
The Bulgarian racing driver has established himself as one of the brightest prospects in single-seater motorsport.
After finishing as runner-up in the F3 Championship last season, Tsolov currently leads the F2 standings in his first full-time season with Campos Racing.
With five rounds to go, the 21-year-old could find himself looking for a race seat in F1 if he wins the F2 crown.
The feeder series’ rules preclude the champion from a title defence, and the 21-year-old is aware that the logical next step for him would be in the F1 paddock with the Red Bull family.
Racing Bulls boss Peter Bayer has already named him “next in line” for a race seat with the Faenza-based team, but the ground realities of Tsolov securing that chance next season are pretty complex.
The 2026 line-up of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad has proved to be a stellar combination, with a vacancy at the team only looking likely if Max Verstappen decides to leave Red Bull at the end of the season.
Amid this, Tsolov is squarely focused on his F2 campaign, adamant about blocking out all the “noise” that could get him into serious “trouble”.
“Obviously I try to distance myself from it, isolate a little bit,” he told F1.com.
“The noise can really get you into trouble. But honestly I’ve been handling it pretty well, because it’s not something I necessarily didn’t expect to happen.
“I didn’t expect it to be such a big boom, but it is what it is, and I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing until now.
“Obviously the season we are achieving right now is great and I think there is more to come as well, I think there is more we can show.”
Nikola Tsolov reveals extent of Red Bull F1 race seat talks
Tsolov signed up to the Red Bull junior programme from Alpine last season.
The 21-year-old is also scheduled to undertake a TPC test for Racing Bulls at Imola later this month to accumulate enough superlicense points for an FP1 outing.
And if Tsolov manages to win the F2 title, he would have racked up enough points to earn himself an F1 seat in principle.
That said, Tsolov has revealed that while the rumour mill has already assigned him an F1 race seat, talks with Red Bull are yet to pick up any serious momentum.
“They’re obviously really happy with me, but there’s nothing that has been talked about, nothing clear,” Tsolov revealed.
“It’s just keep doing what you’re doing, you’re doing great, but there’s not much more than that to be honest.
“Obviously Red Bull themselves have prepared me for all this, what’s happening now and because of their help I’m able to achieve those results as well.
“But we haven’t reached the point where there’s anything more than that, we’re just focusing on F2 right now.
“It means a lot to me, obviously it means that people are appreciating and they believe in what I do. I believe in myself as well and I really do feel like this year has been great and I should deserve a chance.
“But things are never certain in this sport, so it’s all about taking every opportunity I get from now on and focus on F2, because that’s the only thing that can really help me progress up the ladder.”
Next up for Tsolov in his charge for the F2 drivers’ title is the Temple of Speed: Monza.
READ MORE – Nikola Tsolov ‘on the radar’ of Racing Bulls over potential F1 role
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