Liam Lawson says he was blindsided by Red Bull’s decision to demote him to their junior team, Racing Bulls, after just two underwhelming races.
The 23-year-old Kiwi, who replaced Sergio Perez at the start of the 2025 season, struggled with poor qualifying and race results in Australia and China, prompting team boss Christian Horner to reinstate Yuki Tsunoda in his place ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Despite the sudden change, Lawson remains focused on making the most of his new role alongside teammate Isack Hadjar, beginning with Friday’s practice session at Suzuka.
“It was definitely a shock, honestly. It’s not something that I saw coming,” Lawson told Sky Sports.
“The discussions we were having weren’t really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I expected.”
