SUZUKA: Liam Lawson said Thursday he was determined to prove he belongs in Formula One following what he called the "tough" surprise of being axed by Red Bull after just two races.
The New Zealander was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda starting at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix following a disastrous start that saw him fail to score any points.
Lawson returns to Red Bull's sister team RB to take Tsunoda's seat after previously racing 11 grands prix for them over two seasons.
The 23-year-old admitted that his sudden demotion was "something I wasn't expecting so early".
"I was hoping to go to a track that I'd raced before and have a clean weekend," he said at Suzuka, ahead of the third race weekend of the 2025 campaign.
"The decision was made, I was told, so although it was tough to hear, I had one or two days to think about it and then I was starting preparations, and then you're just focused on the job.
"I have the opportunity to still be in Formula One and race, and that's the main thing for me," he added.
Lawson's two grands prix with Red Bull were in Australia and China, tracks that he had never raced at before.
He said the decision to demote him was "a done deal" by the time Red Bull principal Christian Horner called him in the days following Shanghai.
But Lawson said the experience had not affected his confidence and will serve as motivation.
"For me the main thing is being in a car and have the opportunity to prove why I belong here," he said.
"And that's what I'll try and do and that's what I do every single time I get in the car, and that's what I'll be doing this weekend."
He added: "We all have enough self-belief to be there.
"If you don't have that, it makes it very difficult. It doesn't really change how I feel about myself."
Lawson said returning to Red Bull in the future was not in his thoughts at the moment.
"Whatever happens down the line is out of my control," he said.
"What I can control is the driving stuff. Where the future goes, I'm not really thinking about it too much."