Verstappen on Lawson 'bullying' post reaction: "It was not a mistake"

Ex-Caterham driver van der Garde launched into a passioned outburst on the social media platform in the wake of Liam Lawson's demotion from Red Bull to Racing Bulls after only two races of the season.

In the post, the Dutchman claimed that the decision was "bullying" and encouraged Lawson to prove people wrong by rebounding on track.

Verstappen's account was seen to have 'liked' the post and asked ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend whether this was a mistake, the four-time world champion replied: "Well, I liked the text [post], so I guess that speaks for itself, right?

Verstappen has frequently expressed his concerns over the performance of Red Bull's cars across the past two seasons, even before the team was usurped by McLaren in the constructors' title last term.

Explaining his immediate thoughts on the swap between Lawson and new teammate Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen revealed: "My reaction was shared with the team, but in general, not only about the swap but everything.