Lawson or Tsolov? Racing Bulls' big 2027 call, and the rumour that dragged Albon in
Racing Bulls must choose between Liam Lawson and F2 star Nikola Tsolov for 2027. A claim from Brazil then put Alex Albon's Williams seat in the mix. Here's what's true, what's been denied, and who's favourite.
Racing Bulls has one big decision left for 2027. Keep Liam Lawson, or promote Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov from Formula 2.
Then a rumour from the SĂŁo Paulo Grand Prix made it bigger. It claimed Lawson would lose his seat to Tsolov and land at Williams instead, pushing out Alex Albon.
Short version: the Williams part has been denied, and Albon is already confirmed for 2027. The real fight is Lawson against Tsolov, and after Brazil, Lawson looks the favourite.
The seat everyone is talking about
Racing Bulls still hasn’t confirmed its 2027 line-up. Lawson’s current team-mate is rookie Arvid Lindblad, and the team is also weighing up a promotion for Tsolov.
Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies has made clear who decides: “The Racing Bulls driver decision is down to Racing Bulls.” That means team principal Alan Permane, and he’s in no hurry.
“We’re not in a rush to do anything, and I’m very confident the right decision will be made.”
He says the team will announce it “in the coming weeks”.
Who is Nikola Tsolov?
Tsolov’s Campos F2 car at the Red Bull Ring in June. Photo: Lukas Raich/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
If you don’t follow F2, here’s why Racing Bulls is taking him seriously.
- He’s 19. Tsolov is from Sofia, Bulgaria, and turns 20 in December.
- He’s a Red Bull junior, racing for Campos in his first F2 season.
- He’s made history. His win in the season opener in Melbourne made him the first Bulgarian to win in F2. He took his fifth win of the year at Silverstone with a last-lap pass.
- He’s in a title fight. After Baku, he’s second, seven points behind Rafael Câmara. Câmara is already heading to Haas for 2027. Two rounds are left on the calendar, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Winning F2 as a rookie would make Tsolov very hard to ignore.
Lawson’s case
Lawson on track at the Chinese GP in March. Photo: Wan Mikhail Roslan/NurPhoto
Lawson has the experience, and he picked a good weekend to be at his best.
In Brazil he qualified fifth in the wet and started third after penalties for others. He swept around the outside at the start and was second after the first lap. His tyres faded late on and he crossed the line eighth, then moved up to seventh when Charles Leclerc was penalised for hitting him.
That leaves him ninth in the championship with 89 points. Mekies called his weekend “the perfect representation of how strongly he is now performing.”
Even so, Lawson admits the wait is hard.
“I don’t know what else they want me to do but it’s just one of those things at the moment.”
He has also said there’s no plan B if Racing Bulls lets him go.
The rumour that dragged Albon in
This is where Williams came into it.
At the SĂŁo Paulo GP, former F1 driver Franck Montagny claimed on French TV channel Canal+ that Racing Bulls had already chosen Tsolov over Lawson. In his version, Lawson would then move to Williams alongside Carlos Sainz, and Albon would be the one left without a seat.
Albon’s Williams on track at the Chinese GP. Photo: Wan Mikhail Roslan/NurPhoto
It spread fast. But it has been shot down from more than one side.
- Lawson’s representatives denied any talks about a move to Williams.
- Journalist Thomas Maher was told by several sources that there was “no truth whatsoever” in the idea that Albon would be replaced.
No one from Williams or Racing Bulls has backed the story.
Albon is already confirmed for 2027
Albon in the paddock at the Chinese GP. Photo: Wan Mikhail Roslan/NurPhoto
This is the biggest hole in the rumour. In August, Williams confirmed Albon will race for the team in 2027.
It wasn’t a brand-new contract. Albon’s multi-year deal already covered 2027, and the announcement was about the exit clauses in that deal. In other words, Williams had a chance to let him go for 2027, and chose to keep him.
At the time, Albon called his 2026 form “one tough year” that “doesn’t tell the full picture”. Team principal James Vowles said re-signing him “shows the belief we both have in the direction we are heading.”
For Lawson to take that seat, Williams would have to reverse a decision it made public less than three months ago. That would be a big U-turn.
What happens next
- Racing Bulls should announce its 2027 drivers in the next few weeks. Reports since Brazil say Lawson is increasingly likely to stay alongside Lindblad, with Permane understood to favour keeping him. Nothing is signed.
- Tsolov has two F2 rounds left to make his case. A rookie title would add real pressure.
- Williams has Albon locked in for 2027. Unless that changes, there’s no Williams seat for Lawson to take.
Our view
The Williams rumour feels like two real stories stuck together. Lawson’s future really is uncertain. Albon really has had a tough 2026. But Williams already chose to keep Albon when it had the chance to let him go, and every source close to the story has denied the swap.
The question to watch is simpler: Lawson or Tsolov. Lawson made his case loudly in Brazil. Tsolov can make his in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Permane gets the final say.
.jpg){kind=link}