Nikola Tsolov will make his first appearance in an official Formula 1 session in Mexico City on Friday, 30 October. Racing Bulls confirmed that the Bulgarian will drive Liam Lawson’s VCARB 03 in the first free practice session.
The session starts at 12:30 local time in Mexico City, equivalent to 20:30 in Bulgaria, and is scheduled to last one hour. Tsolov’s participation is in practice; the announcement does not place him in qualifying or Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The opportunity follows his test with the team at Imola in August and forms part of his development in the Red Bull Junior Programme. He joined the programme in 2025 and is competing with Campos Racing in Formula 2, where he is a title contender.
An official practice session presents a different task from a standalone test. The driver has to work within the race weekend’s programme, learn the car and provide useful feedback while the team prepares for the Grand Prix. Raw lap time is therefore only one part of how the outing can be assessed.
Tsolov says his focus is learning and working closely with the team. Team principal Alan Permane describes the appearance as a development step and an opportunity to build on the earlier Imola work. Neither statement amounts to a guaranteed Formula 1 race seat for 2027.
The Mexico weekend runs from 30 October to 1 November at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. For Bulgarian motorsport, Friday is a significant milestone: a place in an official F1 session, with the next stage still dependent on performance, development and the teams’ decisions.
