Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson suffered a double blow at the Mexico City Grand Prix, losing his eighth-place qualifying result to a technical disqualification after earlier picking up a grid penalty for an on-track practice collision with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The dramatic turn of events at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez shifted the grid significantly for the race. Lawson had originally secured eighth position in a tightly contested qualifying session, placing him directly ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad in what looked to be a strong midfield showing for the Racing Bulls challenger.
Technical Infringement and Qualifying Disqualification
Lawson’s weekend unraveled after the session when he was referred to the stewards regarding an issue with his car’s Motor Generation Unit – Kinetic. The FIA Technical Delegate reported that the driver was in breach of the minimum MGU-K power requirement just after crossing the timing line on his fastest lap in the second qualifying phase.
Evidence reviewed by the stewards established that Lawson did not immediately lift off the throttle after completing his flying lap in Q2. That delay prevented the power unit from achieving the required rate of reduction for ERS-K deployment, violating technical regulations governing step-down rates.
Evidence submitted, which was accepted by all parties present, showed that after the control line at the end of his fastest lap in Q2, the driver did not lift off the power immediately. This resulted in the rate of reduction of MGU-K deployment required to achieve the regulated ‘step down’, not being achieved.
While Racing Bulls representatives argued that the infraction did not afford the car any lap-time advantage, the stewards noted that non-compliance with the technical regulations is never excused by a lack of competitive gain. Although the team self-disclosed the breach, the panel determined that numerous precedents required a penalty of disqualification.
Practice Collision With Max Verstappen
The technical disqualification compounded a difficult start to the race weekend that began during Friday’s second practice session. Lawson and four-time world champion Max Verstappen made wheel-to-wheel contact at Turn 14, leaving debris on the circuit and triggering a red flag.
The incident damaged Verstappen’s bargeboards and broke the front wing on Lawson’s car. Stewards subsequently handed both drivers one-place grid penalties and penalty points on their super licences, ruling the drivers’ behavior unacceptable.
Verstappen offered blunt criticism of the clash in the media pen on Friday. Not very smart behaviour, what he was trying to do there,
Verstappen said, as reported by the BBC. When you’re fighting for your seat, it’s not very smart behaviour.
Lawson cleared the air with the Red Bull driver on Saturday morning before track activities resumed. Obviously, it’s not ideal and something that should never happen in practice,
Lawson reflected, adding that it was never his intention to have contact and he apologized for it.
Grid Repercussions and the 2027 Seat Debate
The accumulation of penalties leaves Lawson facing a long recovery drive. Having originally dropped from eighth to ninth on the starting grid due to the practice penalty, the subsequent qualifying exclusion relegates him to the back of the Mexico City Grand Prix starting order.
The weekend turbulence arrives while Lawson’s future on the Formula 1 grid remains undecided for the following season. Racing Bulls evaluated junior driver Nikola Tsolov by putting him in Lawson’s car for the opening practice session in Mexico.
Former world champion Jenson Button weighed in on the team’s driver dilemma, arguing that Lawson’s season-long consistency offers a safer bet than unproven youth.
While Verstappen stopped short of endorsing his former teammate for the 2027 seat during his media sessions, Racing Bulls maintains a 33-point advantage in the constructors’ standings heading into the final rounds of the season.