Permane states Racing Bulls will select their 2027 driver line-up ‘in the coming weeks’

Racing Bulls will settle on their driver line-up for the 2027 season “in the coming weeks” according to Team Principal Alan Permane, who is still working to decide between three major contenders.

Every team except Racing Bulls and Haas have announced that they will stick with their current pairings heading into next year, bringing greater focus onto whether the Faenza-based outfit will offer new deals to Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.

Both drivers have made the most of the team’s pace to regularly finish in the points and take Racing Bulls to P5 in the constructors’ standings, with Lawson scoring a total of 69 points – 14 of which came from his stint as Isack Hadjar’s substitute at Red Bull – while rookie Lindblad has netted 38 so far.

However, it’s no secret that Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to race in Formula 1, having impressed by competing for the Formula 2 title in his first full season.

Asked ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix when a decision will be made, Permane said: “I don't want to give you a definite date. You know, no, that's not going to work. It's going to be in the coming weeks, let's say.

“I mean, we're in no rush. I think everyone knows we've got two fantastic drivers. We've got a fantastic driver in F2 at the moment, and they're all there and ready to go.

“But three doesn't fit into two, of course, and we're just going to take a little bit more time and make sure we get the right pairing for next year.”

Racing Bulls have acted as a development ground for future Red Bull drivers in the past, with most of the top team’s recent racers proving their skill at the sister team before receiving a promotion.

Permane explained that this responsibility is what complicates the line-up decision as they tend to prioritise giving a chance to juniors, but Lawson and Lindblad are on course to give the squad their best-ever result in the Teams’ Championship.

Elaborating on their driver criteria, Permane said: “There's many, many, many things. I guess top of the list is speed and pace and all that goes with that.

“But there's lots, of course, in the background because we're in a slightly unique situation, I guess. We want to bring on young drivers, we want to bring on young talent, and of course we have one eye on them progressing in the future.

“So, it's not just about the here and now, it's also about what they can do in the future.”