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Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson penalized for incident at Mexico City GP
· Confirmed
In Short: FIA stewards penalized Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson with grid penalties for an incident during the second practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, according to reports from Formula 1 and BBC.
The incident occurred when Verstappen, preparing for a flying lap, and Lawson, on a cooldown lap after a timed lap, made contact at Turn 14, causing debris on the track that required a red flag stoppage.
Both drivers admitted their moves were unnecessary and 'clumsy,' as reported by BBC and Crash.net. Verstappen criticized Lawson for his behavior, saying, 'That's not very sensible behavior from someone in his position, to pick a fight with me.'
Lawson, who was Verstappen's teammate for two races at the start of 2025 before being dropped, held his ground going into Turn 13, as Verstappen waved a hand of frustration in the direction of the New Zealander.
The stewards took the unusual step of issuing a sporting penalty for an infringement in practice, noting that similar incidents had occurred earlier in the year and that warnings had been provided at the team managers' meeting on Friday.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson have been given grid penalties by the stewards following their “unacceptable” and “clumsy” incident during second practice in Mexico, according to Formula 1.
The incident also necessitated a brief red flag to clear the debris on the exit of T13, as reported by RacingNews365 and The Race.
Verstappen dived inside the Racing Bulls on the brakes into Turn 12, gesticulating at Lawson as they exited the corner side by side. Verstappen returned to the track in his damaged Red Bull and managed to place it fifth, albeit three tenths off the pace, while team-mate Isack Hadjar rounded out the top six, just under a tenth down on Verstappen.
The stewards heard from the driver of Car 3 (Max Verstappen), the driver of Car 30 (Liam Lawson), team representatives, and reviewed video evidence, as stated in the verdict by RacingNews365.
The incident shattered the Red Bull’s left-hand-side bargeboard, and Verstappen finished P5 while Lawson finished P9, as reported by Telangana Today.
The stewards also revealed that both had been at fault for the incident and took the unusual step of issuing a sporting penalty for an infringement in practice, as noted by BBC and Crash.net.
The incident is extremely rare for grid penalties to be handed out for incidents that occur during free practice, but on this occasion the stewards handed out tougher punishments following earlier warnings at the team managers' meeting on Friday.
Background
FIA stewards penalized Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson with grid penalties for an incident during practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico, as well as the most populous city in North America. It is one of the world's leading cultural and financial centers and, according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network's 2024 ranking, is classified as an Alpha world city.
What's confirmed
- "Both drivers admitted the moves were unnecessary and 'clumsy'."
- The stewards also revealed that Verstappen and Lawson both admitted their moves had been "unnecessary and clumsy".
- Lawson initially held his ground into Turn 12 but they continued side-by-side through the next sequence of corners, before making contact at Turn 14 when Verstappen rejoined the track.
- “I think one word, just ‘unnecessary’ in a practice session; completely unnecessary, and I say that to both of them,” commented Permane, after Verstappen criticised Lawson for “not very smart behaviour”.
- “Well, I don’t think it’s called unlucky,” Verstappen told Sky Sports when asked if the incident with his former Red Bull teammate was unlucky.
- Lawson held his ground going into Turn 13, as Verstappen waved a hand of frustration in the direction of the New Zealander.
- The incident also necessitated a brief red flag to clear the debris on the exit of T13.
- Lawson, though, held his ground in his Racing Bulls machinery and jostled with Verstappen through the slow Turn 13 before the Red Bull driver ran over the right edge of the Racing Bulls' front wing at Turn 14, depositing debris on the circuit which needed to be cleared by marshals.
- "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 3 (Max Verstappen), the driver of Car 30 (Liam Lawson), team representatives and reviewed video evidence," began the verdict.
- “On the approach to turn 12 car 3 was on a preparation lap and car 30 was on a cool down lap preparing for another push lap", the FIA document read.
What's still developing
- Lawson acquitted himself more effectively on his second time in the senior team.
- Verstappen claimed that Lawson's move "wasn't smart" when addressing the media before heading to the stewards to account for his actions.
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- Speaking with the media after FP2, he had this to say : “Not very smart behavior, what he was trying to do there,” said Verstappen.
- Having sat out first practice, Verstappen decided to head straight out on the soft tyre but was only fifth fastest and a full second off the pace before a bizarre incident with Lawson that caused a red flag.
- "Ferrari are looking strongest at the moment, Leclerc didn't properly finish his lap. Lewis has the issue. We expected on this sort of circuit for them to perform best but Q3 as it stands can go any way."
- Lawson held his ground going through Turns 13-14 behind Williams’ Carlos Sainz.
- It put Verstappen on the curb, and he subsequently wanted to barge through at the stadium exit.
- "Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 5 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits." You have not currently accepted all necessary cookies.
- Verstappen reacted to the incident, stating that it was a result of a “not very smart behaviour”.