AUGUST 27, 2026
Tsolov completes 690km in first Racing Bulls F1 test
Nikola Tsolov covered 690 kilometres in the VCARB 02 at Imola during his first run in Formula 1 machinery.
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Racing Bulls has put a rather more substantial number on Nikola Tsolov's first Formula 1 outing: 690 kilometres.
The 19-year-old Bulgarian drove the 2025 VCARB 02 at Imola as part of the team's Testing of Previous Cars programme. It was his first proper day in Formula 1 machinery and the distance was more than twice the 300 kilometres that had been the focus before the test.
Tsolov described the day as the fulfilment of something he had worked towards throughout his career. I really enjoyed every lap and it's difficult to put into words what it means to finally get this opportunity,
he said.
He thanked Racing Bulls and the Red Bull Junior Team for the test and said he hoped to add more kilometres in the future.
Team principal Alan Permane said Tsolov adapted quickly and displayed the composure expected of a driver experiencing an F1 car for the first time. The outing formed part of the development programme used to give Red Bull's junior drivers the mileage and working environment needed for Formula 1.
The test also gave Racing Bulls a substantial set of data on a driver who has become increasingly relevant to Red Bull's longer-term plans. Tsolov is racing for Campos in Formula 2 and remains one of the leading candidates in the junior programme.
It does not amount to the promise of a race seat, and Red Bull's 2027 choices will depend on more than one afternoon at Imola. But 690 kilometres is enough to turn the test from an administrative exercise into a serious evaluation.
Tsolov began the day as a promising junior waiting to discover how he would handle an F1 car. He ended it having completed nearly two Grand Prix distances. That is a considerably more useful entry on the CV than a rumour.