Ousted Red Bull driver Liam Lawson admits he was ‘shocked’ by the decision to demote him to their sister team after only two races of the 2025 season.

The New Zealander only made the step up from Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez following the conclusion of last season. 

That move itself attracted considerable attention, not least because the Milton Keynes-based outfit had only handed the Mexican a new contract just months beforehand.

But now Lawson will switch seats with Yuki Tsunoda, who steps up to partner Max Verstappen, ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

‘It was definitely a shock, honestly. It's not something that I saw coming,’ the 23-year-old, who failed to finish the season opener in Australia before ending out of the points in 12th in China, told Sky Sports.

‘The discussions we were having as well, I think, weren't really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I sort of expected.

'Obviously, I would have loved more time.

‘I think going to places that I'd never been before with the way the car was was quite tricky. I think that (time) would have helped and I would have loved that opportunity. But obviously, it's not my decision, so I'm here to make the most of this one.’

Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted he hadn't taken the decision to demote Lawson lightly but says the early signs were that the team had asked too much, too soon from the young Kiwi.

He said: ‘Of course, it's horrible because you're taking away someone's dreams and aspirations, but sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind, and I think that in this instance, this is not the end for Liam.

‘I was very clear with him, is that it's a sample of two races. I think that we've asked too much of you too soon.

‘We have to accept, I think we were asking too much of him too soon. And so this is for him to, again, nurture that talent that we know that he has, back in the Racing Bulls seat, whilst giving Yuki the opportunity and looking to make use of the experience that he has.’

Vertappen, meanwhile, was left 'surprised' by how quickly Red Bull made the decision, Horner said. 

'But he could also see how much Liam was struggling,' the Red Bull boss added.

He wasn't the only person within the team who had noticed the Kiwi driver's struggles this season, with Horner claiming that some from the engineering team had become 'concerned' by how Lawson was handling the pressure. 

'It was something that was very clear to the engineering side within the team, just how much Liam was struggling with it all, and you could see that weight upon his shoulders,' he added. 

'The engineers were coming to me very concerned about it. 

'At the end of the day, I think it was the logical thing to do.'