Racing Bulls to run Nikola Tsolov in place of Lawson in Mexico City practice
Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov will take Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls car in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix. It will be the Bulgarian's first official Formula 1 session, and it fills the team's last required rookie outing of 2026.
A first official session for Tsolov
Racing Bulls will hand its second car to a driver who has so far only tested for it. According to RacingNews365 and PlanetF1, Nikola Tsolov will replace Liam Lawson for the opening practice session in Mexico City, making his debut in an official Formula 1 session.
Both outlets quote Tsolov thanking the team for the chance and saying he wants to learn the car and the current regulations. Team principal Alan Permane described the run as an important step in his development within the Red Bull Junior Programme.
Why Lawson sits out
Formula 1's sporting rules require every team to give rookies a set number of first-practice outings over a season. PlanetF1 reports that Arvid Lindblad's sessions in Australia and China, plus Ayumu Iwasa's FP1 run in Austria, already count towards that total, and that Tsolov's session completes it. Lawson therefore gives up one Friday morning rather than losing his place in the team.
Who Tsolov is
The 19-year-old Bulgarian joined the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2025. According to RacingNews365, he won the Spanish F4 title in 2022, finished runner-up in FIA Formula 3 this year and tested the team's 2025-specification car at Imola in August, covering 690 km over 143 laps. He currently sits second in the Formula 2 standings with Campos Racing, seven points behind leader Rafael Câmara with two rounds left, and has won six races this season.
The seat question
The timing adds interest to a still-open decision. Racing Bulls has not announced its 2027 line-up, and PlanetF1 reports that Lawson and Lindblad are both reported to be in contention, with Tsolov also mentioned. Lawson said during the United States Grand Prix weekend that he had not yet heard whether he would stay, and Permane has said the team is taking its time. Nothing in either report says that a single practice session will settle the matter.
By the numbers
Our race data shows what the incumbents have delivered. Across the 18 Sunday races so far, Lawson has scored 56 points from 15 starts for Racing Bulls with a best finish of fifth, while Lindblad has 37 points from 18 starts with a best of sixth.
What comes next
The Mexico City Grand Prix is round 19, with the race on 1 November. Tsolov's attention will then return to the final two Formula 2 rounds of his title fight.
