Nikola Tsolov completed his first laps in Formula 1 machinery for Racing Bulls at Imola, covering 690 kilometres in the VCARB02 during a Testing of Previous Cars programme. The official FIA Formula 2 report confirms the Thursday run at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, giving the Bulgarian driver a substantial first reference point in an F1 team environment.
The 19-year-old Red Bull Junior Team driver came into the test leading FIA Formula 2. Formula 1’s official account reported the same 690-kilometre total and identified the session as Tsolov’s first F1 test. The FIA F2 report says he leads the championship by 20 points before Round 10 at Monza next weekend. That puts the run in the right frame: it is a development milestone during a live title campaign, not a Grand Prix entry.
What the Imola mileage establishes
Testing of Previous Cars is valuable because it gives a young driver time to learn the physical and procedural demands of Formula 1 without the compressed schedule of a race weekend. Tsolov’s completed distance shows that the opportunity became a substantial working session rather than a ceremonial appearance.
Neither official report publishes a competitive classification or a lap-time benchmark for the test. There is therefore no evidence to turn the mileage into a claim that Tsolov has already matched a race driver. The verified achievement is more precise: he completed the opportunity, accumulated meaningful F1 mileage and gave Racing Bulls a first direct view of his work in its car.
That distinction matters in a junior programme. A first run can answer questions about adaptation and composure while leaving race-seat decisions open. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said Tsolov adapted quickly and showed the composure expected from a driver taking on an F1 car for the first time. Permane also described the outing as part of the team’s wider development plan for its junior drivers, rather than presenting it as a decision about the 2027 line-up.
The evidence-first approach is familiar to Bettista readers. Our review of Formula 1’s opening rounds separates adaptation to a new rules cycle from the result of a single weekend. For a private test, the same discipline means valuing completed mileage and feedback over an isolated headline. The Barcelona F1 event preview makes a similar case for repeated data when judging whether apparent pace is real or temporary.
The next checkpoint is Monza
The next confirmed step is competitive. FIA Formula 2 returns at Monza next weekend, where Tsolov will move from a controlled F1 test back into the pressure of a championship round. His 20-point advantage is a current sporting fact, but it is separate from what happened at Imola. The test adds experience; only the F2 weekend can add points.
It is also important not to turn a development opportunity into an unannounced contract. As our report on Alex Albon’s confirmed Williams commitment for 2027 shows, a signed continuation is a different kind of evidence from a young driver receiving structured mileage. Racing Bulls has confirmed the test, not a future race seat for Tsolov.
For now, the confirmed story is compact. Tsolov, aged 19, completed 690 kilometres in the VCARB02 at Imola while leading Formula 2 by 20 points. If Monza strengthens his championship position, that will be a separate sporting result. Any conclusion about his Formula 1 future needs a separate official announcement.
