Liam Lawson replaced as Racing Bulls contender steps up for FP1 at Mexico City GP
The 19-year-old Red Bull junior will replace Liam Lawson and complete Racing Bulls’ rookie FP1 quota for the season, team principal Alan Permane said.
- Nikola Tsolov will make his FP1 debut for Racing Bulls at the Mexico City Grand Prix, stepping in for Liam Lawson to gain official race weekend experience.
- Formula 1 teams are mandated to run rookies four times per season in FP1 sessions; Arvid Lindblad's two outings and Ayumu Iwasa's one session fulfilled three of the required practice hours.
- Currently second in the Formula 2 standings, the 19-year-old Tsolov is understood to be pushing hardest for a 2027 seat within the Red Bull stable, though Racing Bulls has yet to announce its driver line-up.
- Team principal Alan Permane described the outing as a "natural progression" for Tsolov's development within the Red Bull Junior Program, building on prior testing at Imola.
- Tsolov joins a crowded Mexico City FP1 session featuring eight other rookies: Fred Vesti, Leonardo Fornaroli, Gabriele Mini, Ryo Hirakawa, Freddie Slater, Luke Browning, Jak Crawford, and Colton Herta.
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Bulgarian motor sport is on the verge of a historic event. Nikola Tsolov will make his debut in an official Formula 1 session during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend. The Bulgarian driver will sit behind the wheel of the Racing Bulls car in the first free practice session, scheduled for Friday, October 30, at 20:30 Bulgarian time. The news was officially announced by the team. Tsolov will take Liam Lawson's place in the session at the Hermanos…
Racing Bulls F1 has announced that they will field Red Bull Junior Program member Nicola Tsolov in the first free practice session (FP1) of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix. Tsolov will replace Liam Lawson in driving the VCARB 03 and will compete in the official F1 session…
This is another big step in the young Bulgarian's career.
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