Liam Lawson has had the keys taken off him at Red Bull and will complete the Formula 1 season with the franchise's Racing Bulls development team.
He lasted two Grands Prix before management decided to replace him with Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda for his home event next weekend at Suzuka.
The switch confirms widespread speculation.
BBC Formula 1 correspondent Andrew Benson told Mike Hosking the line CEO Christian Horner is running about “duty of care” is them trying to dress the situation up as best they can.
He says getting rid of someone after two races isn’t duty of care by any stretch of the imagination, and instead, giving him a chance to try and perform better would be.
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The Mike Hosking Breakfast