Liam Lawson says his demotion from Red Bull's senior team after just two races came as a "shock".
The 23-year-old New Zealander was dropped to back to Racing Bulls just two races into the season and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda last week.
Speaking to Sky Sports UK, Lawson said the decision was "definitely a shock, honestly".
"It's not something that I saw coming."
He was asked if he was frustrated about the lack of time he was given to prove himself in the car.
"Honestly, yes. Obviously, I would have loved more time," he said.
"And I felt like with more time, especially going to places that I'd been before… it was a tough start. We had a rocky testing. We had a rocky first weekend in Melbourne with practice. And then obviously China was a sprint.
"From their side maybe they feel like I wasn't ready for it, and obviously they made the decision and that's their opinion. From my side, I was ready I just didn't have enough time," he said.
Lawson reiterated that the team "all want to win" and said he hoped there would be a "pathway [that] leads me back to Red Bull".
Also speaking to Sky Sports, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he took responsibility for asking "too much too soon" from Lawson.
"Of course, it's horrible because you're taking away someone's dreams and aspirations, but sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind, and I think that in this instance, this is not the end for Liam," he said.
"I was very clear with him, is that it's a sample of two races. I think that we've asked too much of you too soon.
"We have to accept, I think we were asking too much of him too soon. And so this is for him to, again, nurture that talent that we know that he has, back in the Racing Bulls seat, whilst giving Yuki the opportunity and looking to make use of the experience that he has."
From the first weekend in Melbourne, it appeared Lawson was struggling with the car, which appeared to be difficult to drive. Even world champion Max Verstappen needed to scrap his way to fourth at the China Grand Prix.
Horner said that both he and the team's engineers were "concerned" over how Lawson was struggling mentally with the situation.
"I think with everything that we saw in Australia and China, you could see that it was really affecting Liam quite badly," he said.
"We could have left it, and I think that Liam is a driver with talent. Maybe within half a season he would have got there, but we just don't have that amount of time.
"The engineers were coming to me very concerned about it, and at the end of the day, I think it was the logical thing to do."
Sergio Perez approached about F1 return
Meanwhile, former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said overnight he was in talks with Formula 1 teams about a return to the grid after having his contract ended two years early.
A six-time race winner across 14 years in F1, Perez was replaced at Red Bull this season by Lawson.
"Especially last year, I didn't get to show what I’m able to do as a driver," Perez said in an interview with the F1 website. "Now, all of a sudden, people realise how difficult the car is to drive."
The 35-year-old Mexican said he had been "approached by a few teams since Abu Dhabi," referencing his final race last December as teammate to F1 champion Max Verstappen.
"There are a few very interesting projects out there. It’s good to be in this position knowing that people are keen on you as a drive,” he said.
"People have short memories in F1. People realise that my position was not the easiest one in F1. And I've done extremely well overall.”
Perez was runner-up to Verstappen in the 2023 driver standings and has 39 career finishes on a race podium.
He said from his home in Mexico he will take “at least six months” to weigh his options and decide on a next career move.
- Additional reporting by Associated Press
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