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Lawson, demoted by Red Bull because they felt his confidence had gone and would not recover after a difficult first two races, was 13th on his return to Racing Bulls, 0.311secs off Hadjar.

Max Verstappen says it "was not a mistake" that he liked a comment on social media describing Red Bull's decision to demote Liam Lawson as "a panic move" and "close to bullying".

There's no doubt it is tough to take for the driver who has effectively been demoted.

The New Zealander has been demoted from his position as team-mate to Max Verstappen following poor performances in the first two races of the season.

To demote him back to second team Racing Bulls after just two races in a swap with Tsunoda - who was passed over only three months ago - is, quite simply, extraordinary.