A rumour did the rounds claiming Liam Lawson was set to lose his VCARB Formula 1 seat to Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, with some reports even presenting it as a done deal for 2027. It spread quickly, got picked up by multiple outlets, and before long it had the kind of momentum that makes people assume there must be something behind it.

But after speaking directly with people on both sides of the story, the picture is far clearer. Right now, there is no confirmed plan for Tsolov to replace Lawson, and everyone closest to the matter appears to be on the same page.

Where the Lawson to Tsolov story came from

The story appears to have begun with a report claiming Tsolov had already been locked in for a Formula 1 seat in 2027. From there, other outlets piled on. That is often how these things work in the paddock. One headline lands, others repeat it, and suddenly a possibility becomes a certainty in the public mind.

The problem is that speed and accuracy are rarely best mates in Formula 1 gossip. Once a story gets moving, it can outrun the facts very quickly.

That is exactly what happened here.

Nikola Tsolov is talented, but he is not in Formula 1 yet

Tsolov is easy to understand as an exciting prospect. He is 19, Bulgarian, based near Valencia in Spain, and racing for Campos in Formula 2. He is currently 2nd in the F2 championship and finished runner-up in Formula 3 last season.

He has been part of junior programmes before, including Alpine, and Red Bull picked him up in 2025. At the moment, he is the only current F2 driver backed by Red Bull, which naturally adds fuel to any story linking him to one of Red Bull’s teams.

And yes, he looks every bit the sort of driver Red Bull tends to like. Fast, confident, self-assured. On profile alone, you can absolutely see why people would connect the dots.

But that does not mean the deal is done.

In fact, there are still major steps between being a promising Red Bull junior and getting a Formula 1 race seat. Tsolov has not even completed a simulator session for an F1 team yet. That matters.

What VCARB had to say

This is where the rumour starts to fall apart.

VCARB’s communications team flatly rejected the claim. Not vaguely. Not with a careful non-answer. Categorically.

Lawson and the team also met at the track to discuss how the situation would be handled, which tells you they were taking the noise seriously. The report had become big enough that it needed a proper internal response.

That alone should cool the story considerably. Teams can be evasive when they want to be, especially around driver moves. In this case, the response was direct.

What Nikola Tsolov and his camp said

There was no appetite from Tsolov’s side to feed the speculation either. Quite the opposite.

Tsolov and the people around him made it clear the story did not come from them. They were frustrated because it had become a distraction at the exact time they are trying to win an F2 title. That is the priority.

There is also a human side to this that gets missed when the internet starts racing ahead. Bulgaria has never had a Formula 1 driver, so the reaction there was enormous. News outlets were calling everyone connected to him. His family, his management, his mentor, everyone. It became a national story before there was anything real to support it.

Ironically, Tsolov first learned about the report through social media. Lawson had a similar experience when his own Red Bull future became public through online chatter. That is not a great way for drivers to encounter career-defining claims.

Why Liam Lawson is not an obvious driver to replace

If the rumour had emerged while Lawson was struggling badly, it might have felt more plausible. But that is not the situation.

Lawson has 28 points after 7 races this season, compared with none at the same stage last year. He has also scored more than double his teammate’s tally, with his teammate sitting on 13. On top of that, he is only 6 points behind Isack Hadjar, despite Hadjar being in what is described as a much better car.

That is not the profile of a driver who is failing to deliver.

More importantly, he appears to be doing exactly what the team wants. That detail matters more than raw headlines or social media noise. Teams judge drivers on development, execution, feedback, and how they compare against realistic expectations for the machinery underneath them.

There is also context. Lawson had a rough run after being dropped by Red Bull early, and that sort of hit can dent confidence. By all accounts, he has worked through that and looks much more comfortable in the car this year.

Among drivers outside the front-running teams, only Pierre Gasly has done better. That is hardly a case for binning Lawson after 7 races.

Why the rumour spread so fast

The most striking part of this whole saga was not the claim itself. It was how quickly it exploded.

That happened for a few reasons:

• Red Bull always attracts speculation. The team has a reputation for being ruthless with drivers.
• Tsolov is a genuine talent. The ingredients for a future move are there, even if the timing is wrong.
• Lawson has history with sudden decisions. That makes any fresh rumour feel more believable than it should.
• F1 driver markets are always active. Fans and media are constantly trying to read the next move before it happens.

So yes, many people could believe Red Bull might make a mid-season or early-season change under the right circumstances. But believing it could happen is not the same as it happening now.

Tsolov’s rise is real, even if this story is not

None of this should be read as a knock on Tsolov. Quite the reverse.

He is clearly on an upward path, and this episode has raised his profile considerably. Campos has good history with top young talent, and if Tsolov eventually reaches F1 it would be a massive moment, not just for him but for Bulgarian motorsport.

It is also worth remembering how junior racing works financially. Drivers do not simply arrive in F2 and wait to be chosen. Seats cost money, backing matters, sponsors matter, and manufacturer support matters. Red Bull is investing in him, and that tells you they rate him.

Tsolov has also had to fight through some bumps. He admitted there was a point when he nearly walked away from racing altogether. He has copped criticism online, and past incidents on track hurt his reputation. But once he got his head in the right place, his form came back strongly.

That is often the test for young drivers. Speed gets attention. Resilience keeps a career moving.

The Red Bull factor still looms over everything

Even though this specific story appears baseless, the broader Red Bull environment remains one to watch.

There is still uncertainty around Max Verstappen’s future, and that tends to freeze the rest of the driver market. Until the biggest piece moves, plenty of other pieces stay where they are.

There has been paddock talk about contract clauses, timing around the summer break, and meetings with Red Bull leadership. But for now, there is no final answer on what Verstappen will do next year. And until that becomes clear, it is hard to imagine the full Red Bull driver picture settling.

That uncertainty creates fertile ground for rumours. The trouble is, fertile ground can grow nonsense just as easily as truth.

Other Austrian Grand Prix paddock notes

While the Lawson and Tsolov chatter grabbed plenty of attention, there were a few other interesting threads around the Austrian Grand Prix.

Pierre Gasly and the missing trophy

Gasly was asked about a trophy that may or may not have been nearby, and he played it with a smile. He hinted it was not far away, then later suggested it looked rather good at home. Isack Hadjar also seemed relaxed about handing it over to a mate rather than someone else. One of those classic paddock mini-mysteries.

Lando Norris at Madame Tussauds

Lando Norris now has a Madame Tussauds figure in London, dressed in one of his own LN4 suits. His reaction was amused, slightly creeped out, and mostly impressed. Fair enough too. Some people zeroed in on the eyebrows, but these figures are built from scans and sittings done well in advance, and appearances shift over time.

Tyres, and a surprising number

About 1,800 tyres are taken to each Formula 1 race. Another 1,800 are currently sitting in Bahrain, with the same number in Saudi Arabia from cancelled events. You might think they could simply be reused, but tyre allocations come with shelf-life limits. Once they are past those dates, they are not guaranteed, so they are sent back to England to be shredded and recycled for other uses.

FIA finances are in much better shape

The FIA announced its strongest financial result in 10 years. Operating profit reached 6.7 million euros in the 2025 financial year, a major turnaround from the 24 million euro loss recorded in 2021. Cash flow rose to nearly 54 million euros, and the organisation has no financial debt.

A chunk of that improvement came from a long-term Formula E contract extension and stronger sponsorship revenue from major partners. In simple terms, the governing body is in a healthier position and has more scope to invest in the championships it oversees, including F2 and F3.

There was also governance news, with presidential term limits removed. That means the current FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is now able to stand again and, in theory, keep doing so without the previous cap.

The bottom line on Lawson and Tsolov

At the moment, the Lawson replacement story does not hold up.

VCARB rejected it. Tsolov’s side rejected it. The evidence of Lawson’s form does not support it. And Tsolov himself is still focused on the very real business of trying to win Formula 2 and continue building toward Formula 1.

Could Tsolov become an F1 driver one day? Absolutely. Could Red Bull make tough decisions in future? Of course. But those are separate questions from whether Lawson is about to lose his seat now.

Right now, the sensible answer is simple: no.

FAQ