The future of Bulgarian motorsport has come into focus after renowned Sky Sports commentator David Croft announced that the likelihood of Nikola Tsolov replacing Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls car in 2027 has increased significantly. This comes despite a series of strong results and the New Zealander’s consistent performances.
Tension surrounding the team’s lineup increased after Bulgarian prospect Nikola Tsolov’s strong performance during the first free practice session for the Mexican Grand Prix. Tsolov, who is a serious contender for the Formula 2 title, finished just one-tenth of a second behind the team’s full-time driver Arvid Lindblad. Lindblad is expected to retain his position, meaning the battle for the final available seat for the 2027 season will be fought between Lawson and Tsolov.
While journalist Ted Kravitz reported during the Singapore weekend that the decision to retain Lawson had already been made, David Croft has noted a visible change in the New Zealander’s behavior following his incident with Max Verstappen in Mexico.
“Over the course of this weekend, we all sensed a change in his behavior as the days went by. And although there has been no official announcement, it simply looks increasingly likely that they will change their lineup for next year,” Croft said on the F1 Show.
Despite Croft’s comments, analyst Bernie Collins has put forward strong arguments in favor of keeping Lawson in the team, highlighting his enormous contribution throughout the season:
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Lawson has scored 69 points for the team, not including the 14 he scored for Red Bull.
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His teammate Arvid Lindblad has just 38 points.
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The New Zealander’s points account for nearly 64% of the team’s total, without which Racing Bulls would hardly have been able to beat Alpine to fifth place in the constructors’ standings.
Collins notes that releasing a driver with such results would be difficult to explain based on the statistics alone, although the final decision remains in the hands of Red Bull’s management, given that all the drivers are under contract with the Austrian conglomerate.