Yuki Tsunoda believes former AlphaTauri teammate Nyck de Vries deserved at least two more races to prove himself before losing his seat.

De Vries was dropped from the team after only 10 grands prix to make way for the returning Daniel Ricciardo, who will line up in Faenza colors at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Red Bull management had expressed disappointment that de Vries hadn’t been more competitive from the outset given his credentials as a Formula E and Formula 2 champion. Whispers had swirled for weeks that the Dutchman was set to be cut from the team, but Tsunoda said he was shocked that it came so suddenly, with two races still to run before the midseason break.