Verstappen and Lawson lose a grid place after Mexico practice clash
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will each drop one place on the Mexico City Grand Prix grid after their second-practice collision. The stewards also added a penalty point to each driver’s licence. Their decision went beyond a warning because teams had already been cautioned about unnecessary practice incidents earlier that day.
Sports··Midday
Stewards move beyond a warning
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson have each received a one-place grid penalty for the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix. The decision follows their contact in Friday’s second practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City. Each driver also received one penalty point on his racing licence. The grid drops apply to Sunday’s race.[1], [2]
The stewards reviewed video and data and spoke to both drivers after the session. Their explanation cited a warning already delivered at the team managers’ meeting earlier that day. With similar incidents having occurred during practice this season, they chose to increase the punishment from a formal warning to a grid penalty, also referring to previous years’ cases involving contact.[1]
Neither driver was on a timed push lap
On the approach to Turn 12, Verstappen was on a preparation lap, while Lawson was cooling his tyres before another fast lap. The stewards considered both drivers’ conduct unacceptable in light of the earlier warning. Both acknowledged that their moves were unnecessary and clumsy. The decision therefore sanctioned both participants rather than assigning a grid drop to only one of them.[1]
Verstappen had moved past Lawson into Turn 12. Lawson tried to regain the position at the following left-hander in the stadium section. Verstappen went over the kerb and rejoined alongside Lawson, with contact damaging the Red Bull’s floor and the Racing Bulls car’s front wing. Debris on the track brought out a red flag so it could be removed.[1]
Teams finish practice with race penalties
Both drivers continued their programmes, with Verstappen fifth and Lawson ninth at the end of practice. They had missed the opening session because rookies Ayumu Iwasa and Nikola Tsolov had driven their cars. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said the clash was unnecessary in a practice session and that both drivers could do better. The subsequent ruling leaves both teams with a grid penalty to accommodate.[1]
