MEXICO CITY — FIA stewards have taken an unusually tough stance at the Mexico City Grand Prix, handing down one-place grid penalties to both Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen following a bizarre Free Practice 2 collision.
The decision to issue grid penalties for a practice session incident is exceptionally rare. However, officials deemed the conduct of both Red Bull-affiliated drivers to be “unacceptable” following explicit warnings issued to teams earlier in the day.
The Incident: Stadium Section Frustration
The clash occurred during Friday’s FP2 session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez as cars navigated the slow-speed Turn 12 entering the iconic Foro Sol stadium section. Verstappen was completing a push-lap preparation, while Lawson was on a cool-down lap after a flying run. Frustrated after feeling held up through the stadium sector, Verstappen attempted an aggressive overtake into Turn 12. Lawson defended his line aggressively on the exit, leading to wheel-to-wheel contact between the two.
Both cars suffered minor bodywork contact but were able to return to the pit lane under their own power to resume running.
