Horner: Sometimes you have to be cruel.

      Christian Horner, head of Red Bull Racing, admitted that it was terribly unpleasant for them to inform Liam Lawson about the personnel changes, and that starting from the Japanese Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda will take the place of the New Zealander.

      "Of course, it was terribly unpleasant for us, because what he dreamed of was taken away from a man," Horner said in an interview with Sky Sports. – He was deprived of hope, but sometimes you have to be cruel for the common good. I think in this situation we are not talking about the fact that Liam's career is ending.

      I made it clear to him that this happened after two races. I think we also have to admit that we wanted too much from him at such an early stage of the season.

      Again, it will be a lesson for him, it will help develop his talent, which Lawson has, and we know it. So let him get back behind the wheel of the Racing Bulls car, and we'll give Yuki the opportunity to prove himself and see how he can use his experience.

      I think after what we saw in Australia and China, it was pretty obvious that it had a very bad effect on Liam's mood. We could have left it that way, and it's possible that he would have reached the right level by about the middle of the season, but we just don't have that much time.

      It was quite clear to the team's engineers that Liam was facing huge difficulties in all aspects of his work – it was obvious that this had become a heavy burden for him. The engineers shared their concerns with me, and I think we made a logical decision in the end."