Lawson surprised but not deterred by Red Bull demotion

Liam Lawson said he was surprised at being demoted by the Red Bull team after only two races of the new season but remained determined to make his mark in Formula One with the junior Racing Bulls team.

The 23-year-old New Zealander was appointed world champion Max Verstappen's teammate for this season with only 11 races as a stand-in under his belt, but was last week shunted back to the Racing Bulls team and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.

Lawson, who qualified 18th and failed to finish in Australia before qualifying last for the sprint and race in China, said he had no idea the axe would fall so soon and left Shanghai ready to prepare for the third round of the season in Japan.

“I had a phone call saying this was what was going to happen,” he told reporters at Suzuka on Thursday. “It was something I wasn't expecting so early. It's not my decision and for me, it's about making the most of this opportunity now and still being [in] Formula One. I still have that.”

Lawson had never raced in Melbourne or Shanghai and it was clearly a matter of regret that he was unable to show what he could do in the Red Bull at Suzuka, which he knows well from his time in Japan's Super Formula championship.

“That was something I was looking forward to from the start, to go to a track I've been to before,” he added. “Just have a proper sort of preparation and I now have that. So it's exciting to be here at a track that's one of my favourites to drive on. So I'm excited.”

Lawson clearly has the sympathy of Verstappen, who told reporters “it was not a mistake” that he had liked a social media posts criticising the swap decision as “panicky”.

“My reaction was shared with the team. But in general, not only the swap, I think about everything,” the Dutchman said on Thursday. “Sometimes it's not necessary to always share and say everything in public.”

Lawson said the prospect of returning one day to Red Bull was “part of the conversation” when he got the news.

“I guess, in a way, that's great, but I was already there starting the season,” he said. “So whatever happens down the line is more or less how do I control what I control and that's the driving stuff. So where the future goes, at this point I'm not thinking about too much.”

The New Zealander was also reassured by how quickly things can change in Formula One.

“If I look back a year ago I had no seat. I was here a year ago, watching and wishing I was racing,” he said. “So for me, the main thing is being in a car.”