The silly season rumour mill churned out another one this week, and Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane had to stand in front of it with a very large spanner. The speculation? That Bulgarian Formula 2 sensation Nikola Tsolov is lined up for a seat with the Faenza-based outfit in 2027. The reality, according to Permane? Nobody has even raised the subject internally.
Not Even a Conversation
Permane was unambiguous when asked about the rumours after Friday’s running at the Red Bull Ring. He did not hedge, he did not do the usual corporate two-step. He simply shut it down.
“We haven’t spoken about it internally at all. I don’t know where it’s come from but it’s certainly not come from us.” – Alan Permane
He did acknowledge that Tsolov sits inside the Red Bull programme and is, naturally, “on the radar.” But there is a significant difference between being on a radar and being handed an F1 cockpit. Permane made that distinction rather clearly, noting he is very happy with the two drivers he currently has in Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
There Is Also a Small Superlicence Problem
There is also a rather practical obstacle to any Tsolov-to-F1 move right now. The 19-year-old does not hold an FIA superlicence. That is why it was Ayumu Iwasa, not Tsolov, who took the mandatory rookie FP1 slot in Austria on Friday. Permane was straightforward: “Tsolov has no superlicence, so Ayumu did a great job for us this morning.”
A superlicence is theoretically achievable for Tsolov this season. His F3 runner-up finish earned him 25 of the required 40 points; a top-five finish in F2 would cover the rest. But “theoretically achievable” is not the same as “done.”
The Form That Started the Rumours
To be fair to whoever sparked this speculation, Tsolov’s F2 campaign has been genuinely impressive. Three wins in his rookie season, including the Monaco Feature race, and he sits second in the championship. For context, he only joined the Red Bull Junior programme in late 2024 after leaving the Alpine Academy. He has wasted no time making noise.
Meanwhile, Racing Bulls left Friday in Austria feeling considerably more optimistic than they did after Barcelona, with both race drivers content and the team identifying braking as the main overnight target for improvement.
The Conclusion Nobody Wants to Hear
Permane is right that it is far too early for 2027 seat decisions. But Tsolov’s pace means this rumour will not disappear quietly. The question is whether the chaos higher up the Red Bull structure reshuffles the entire deck before anyone has to make a formal decision about the junior ranks at all.
