Jenson Button believes Racing Bulls would take a serious risk if it replaced Liam Lawson with Nikola Tsolov for the 2027 Formula 1 season. The New Zealander’s contract has still not been renewed, while the Bulgarian Red Bull driver remains among the candidates being considered for a seat at the team.
Tsolov is second in the provisional Formula 2 standings, putting him in a position to challenge for promotion. According to Button, however, his performances so far have included both strong moments and races in which he has failed to maintain the same level.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 2009 world champion said Racing Bulls must carefully consider what it could lose with such a change.
„They know what they are getting with him, whereas that is not the case with Tsolov.“
Button added that Lawson had been „very consistent“ throughout the season and believes this is an important advantage for a team whose immediate goal is to score points. „If their goal at the moment is to score points, I would say Liam is their man,“ the former driver said.
At the same time, Button admitted that the idea of bringing in another young talent could be attractive to Racing Bulls. He described the decision as a difficult one, as Tsolov is already performing convincingly in Formula 2, but lacks Lawson’s experience in Formula 1.
Sky Sports commentator David Croft believes the likelihood of Nikola Tsolov replacing Liam Lawson in 2027 has increased significantly. This comes despite the New Zealand driver’s run of strong results.
Racing Bulls is the only Formula 1 team that has still not officially announced either of its drivers for 2027. Alongside Lawson and Tsolov, the New Zealander’s teammate Arvid Lindblad is also among the contenders.
Tsolov has already been given the opportunity to drive a Racing Bulls car in a practice session ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. He finished the session just 0.126 seconds behind Lindblad, which was seen as a positive sign of his readiness for the next level.
The final decision on Racing Bulls’ line-up is expected by the end of the season. Until then, Lawson must defend his position with results, while Tsolov must continue to prove that he can take the next step towards Formula 1.