Two spots left on the F1 2027 grid to be decided after big decision made
There are still nine Grands Prix left in the 2026 Formula 1 season, but teams are already thinking about their driver line-ups for 2027. Earlier this season, there was a lot of talk about Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull, but it looks like he will stay with the team.
Most of the big teams, like Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, and Williams, have already announced their drivers for 2027. Some teams haven’t confirmed their line-ups yet, including Red Bull and their sister team, Racing Bulls. So far, Verstappen is the only confirmed driver for Red Bull, but it seems they’ve decided who will join him next year.
The New Zealand Herald shared that Nikola Tsolov might be with the Racing Bulls as a reserve driver. Tsolov, from Bulgaria, has done really well in Formula 2 and is currently leading the championship. He’s seven points ahead of Rafael Camara, who is part of Ferrari’s junior team. However, Tsolov may have to wait a bit longer for a full-time F1 seat. It’s said Red Bull plans to send him to Japan’s Super Formula, following the same path that Lawson and Pierre Gasly took before moving to Formula 2.
Liam Lawson is expected to come back to Racing Bulls after a short time at Red Bull, where he filled in for the injured Isack Hadjar. The French driver Hadjar is likely to stay in his role with Red Bull alongside Verstappen.
Arvid Lindblad and Lawson have both done a great job this season driving for Racing Bulls, and their team boss, Alan Permane, is happy with how things are going. After the Spanish Grand Prix, Permane spoke to the media about the driver rumors. He said they usually wait a bit longer before making announcements and aren’t in a rush right now.
He added that Tsolov is definitely on their radar and doing an amazing job in his first F2 season. But with two strong drivers like Lawson and Lindblad already in the team, it’s a good problem to have.