Tsunoda’s future uncertain after Tsolov promotion at Red Bull

Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were confirmed earlier on Thursday as Racing Bulls’ full-time drivers - a move that had been expected for some time. A few hours later, Nikola Tsolov was appointed the official reserve driver for both the Austrian and Italian teams.

Should one of the full-time drivers be unavailable next year, the Bulgarian is in principle set to step in as a replacement. In that case, Tsolov would gain valuable experience for his future in the sport. Racing Bulls already sees the current Formula 2 driver as a potential F1 racer. It is no coincidence that there had long been uncertainty over who would drive for the team in 2027, as Tsolov was already in line for a promotion.

Tsolov’s new role could be bad news for Ayumu Iwasa and/or Yuki Tsunoda. It is unclear whether they will remain as reserve drivers in 2027. GPblog understands that no decision has yet been made internally about Tsunoda and Iwasa.

GPblog has also heard that it is not unusual to work with multiple reserve drivers. That leaves the door open for at least one of them to stay on. Neither Japanese driver is a potential candidate for a full-time seat with either Red Bull team. Normally, Tsolov would be the first choice to step in if, for example, Lindblad or Lawson were unavailable.

Iwasa competed in Japan’s Super Formula last season, finishing second in the championship. If he wishes, he will undoubtedly be able to find a seat for 2027 in the highly regarded series in his home country.

Yuki Tsunoda is hoping to return to Formula 1. However, there is no prospect of him securing a place on the grid next year. The Japanese driver previously said that he was not keen on taking on a new role as a reserve driver.