Red Bull announced on Thursday it is shifting its driver rotation around just two races into the new season, announcing that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s teammate.

Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull from his home Japanese Formula One Grand Prix next week with struggling New Zealander Liam Lawson demoted to sister team Racing Bulls in a straight swap.

Liam Lawson’s dramatic axing after just two races with Red Bull has been confirmed by the Formula One team. Red Bull said they had a “duty of care to protect” Lawson after demoting him to Racing Bulls and replacing him with Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese driver’s home race in Suzuka a week on Sunday.