There is much to suggest that Red Bull will have five drivers ready to race in F1 in the 2027 season, but only four seats. They will have to make a tough decision, and since there is new management now, I am curious about their decision.
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The Red Bull Racing team lineup should not change for the 2027 season
Max Verstappen will likely remain at Red Bull for another season. The Dutchman has a contract until the end of 2028, so this is no surprise, but there are traditionally many rumors around him that for some reason he does not clearly deny. Red Bull’s form is improving this year, and there is also significant potential for the coming years, so Verstappen should stay, at least for another year. If there were a sensational move and he decided to terminate the contract, Red Bull would have a problem. They would have to decide whether to bet on their own juniors or bring in someone more recognizable from outside to replace the Dutchman. If they bet on the juniors, the problem of having too many drivers will automatically be solved.
Isack Hadjar is having the best debut of a young driver at Red Bull in many years. The Frenchman is consistent and fast, scoring plenty of points and not lagging far behind Verstappen. Hadjar will develop in the coming years, the team knows this, and there are already suggestions that he will sign a new contract. Laurent Mekies spoke openly about this before the summer break.
Very good form of drivers in the Racing Bulls team
The Racing Bull team has prepared a very competitive car this year, and its drivers are making good use of it. Liam Lawson has had a rather turbulent career in both Red Bull teams, but since he started regularly racing for the junior team, he has also shown high form. This year he regularly scores points and has become the team leader. There is nothing to criticize or fire him for. However, it seems that if management decided that someone must make way for a new junior, the choice would fall on Lawson. In his place, I would look around the paddock; with a bit of luck, he will find a place in another team.
Arvid Lindblad made an excellent debut in Formula 1; you can hardly tell this is his first season. He is very consistent in qualifying and races. He does not make any serious mistakes. I may be wrong here, but I do not recall him causing any crashes this year, which is normal for young drivers. Lindblad was among the narrow circle of Helmut Marko’s “favorites,” who believed he would have a big career. Considering how his F1 debut looks, I would not be surprised if in some time he replaces Max Verstappen as the leader of the entire Red Bull project in F1. Lindblad’s position in Racing Bulls is not
Nikola Tsolov – Bulgaria’s hope
Bulgaria has a real chance for its first driver in Formula 1. Nikola Tsolov (English transcription) is currently the leader of the Formula 2 general classification. He has already won six races this year and has a very good chance of the championship. Looking more broadly at the general classification, even with weaker results in the second half of the year, he will not fall outside the TOP3. Last year he was the runner-up in Formula 3. He will have no problems meeting the requirements for obtaining a super license. Alan Permane from Racing Bulls said a few weeks ago that they are preparing tests for him in an older car so he can debut during F1 practice sessions at the autumn races. Tsolov should be a hot name in the fall regarding a potential F1 debut.
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Those who follow junior series have certainly heard both positive and negative things about him. Tsolov joined the Red Bull academy at the beginning of 2025; earlier, he was under the wings of Fernando Alonso and Alpine. Apparently, he still has to pay Fernando Alonso’s agency because he signed an unfavorable contract there and has accumulated significant debts. Moving under Red Bull’s wing was a breakthrough for Tsolov because from that moment he started regularly achieving success. In Tsolov’s case, I see two scenarios: debut in F1 in 2027 or a delayed debut in 2028. If he becomes the Formula 2 champion this year and performs well during F1 tests, Red Bull should not keep him on reserve next year. If they decide he is not ready, he will spend the 2027 season on private tests in F1 cars and possibly be sent to another racing series to get some racing experience.
Red Bull has another talent in its sights
In the near future, another sure candidate for promotion to Formula 1 should appear, but with one very serious question mark. This season, Red Bull supports three young drivers competing in Formula 3: Mattia Colnaghi, Fionn McLaughlin, and Ernesto Rivera. The first two are disappointing; potential is only visible in Rivera, but he will have to confirm it in the coming years. According to reliable rumors, from next year, Ugo Ugochukwu, who is fighting for the F3 championship this year, is to join the Red Bull academy. The American will also move to the F2 series. If this happens, their current F3 drivers will lose their chances because Ugochukwu has greater potential.
Ugo Ugochukwu is an extremely interesting driver for many reasons who theoretically should reach Formula 1. He is a Black American whose mother is a model from Nigeria and father a fashion designer from Italy. Ugochukwu worked with Sauber in karting, then belonged to McLaren’s junior program for five years. They dropped him after the 2025 season; the reasons are not entirely clear. This year, Ugo tested an Alpine F1 car for the first time and is to join the Red Bull academy. For every team and all of F1, Ugo Ugochukwu promises to be an ideal driver in terms of marketing, and with his recent results, also in sporting terms, but there is one serious problem.
Ugochukwu is very tall. He is definitely over 190 cm tall, probably even over 195 cm. He barely fits in Formula 3 cars. F1 teams do not design cars for such tall drivers. Currently, the tallest they have is 186 cm. A team with Ugochukwu would have to prepare a larger monocoque, which would lead to various compromises. Ugochukwu would be the tallest driver in F1 history. Currently, the record holder is Hans-Joachim Stuck, who was 194 cm tall and raced 50 years ago.
Summary
From 2027, the new head of the Red Bull academy will be Gwen Lagrue, brought in from Mercedes, which certainly means a change in approach. I am curious about the decision regarding Tsolov and whether they will decide to hire Ugochukwu with F1 in mind. It can certainly be said that Red Bull currently has a broad bench of reserves. This already somewhat affects Yuki Tsunoda, who has been somewhat forgotten by the F1 world; this year he is a reserve driver but has no chance of returning permanently to teams belonging to the energy drink manufacturer.
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