The stewards handed Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson one-place grid penalties for Sunday’s 2026 F1 Mexico City GP after the pair clashed in FP2, an incident that damaged the Red Bull and brought out the session’s only red flag.
Both drivers also picked up one penalty point. It is Verstappen’s first of the 12-month period, while it takes the Racing Bulls driver’s total to four. Before the stewards delivered their verdict, Verstappen laid the blame squarely at his former team-mate’s door and questioned his judgement.
How the clash unfolded
Around 13 minutes into FP2 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Verstappen and Lawson became engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle through the stadium section. According to the stewards, the pair traded a series of moves from the entry to Turn 12 through to the apex of Turn 14, where the two F1 cars made contact.
The collision scattered debris across the track, forcing Race Control to halt the session, and broke off part of the bodywork on Verstappen’s car.
Verstappen explained that he had pushed hard on his out-lap after some minor issues, and accused Lawson of speeding up as soon as the Red Bull closed in.
“I was on a fast out-lap because I had some little issues. I was pushing on quite a bit, he was driving really slow. So I was like alright, let’s go for it,” Verstappen said.
“But as soon as he saw me arrive, he started to speed up as well. And yeah, I don’t know what was going through his head in that hairpin, trying to just run me off the track. For me it’s just not very smart behaviour when you’re in his position to pick a fight with me.”
Stewards escalate the penalty
The stewards summoned both drivers on a charge of driving erratically, and they heard from Verstappen, Lawson and team representatives before reviewing the video evidence.
The stewards established that Verstappen was on a preparation lap, while Lawson was on a cool-down lap, preparing for another push lap. They judged that both drivers had behaved unacceptably, particularly as the FIA had issued a warning at the Team Managers’ meeting earlier that day. Both drivers admitted to the stewards that the moves were unnecessary and “clumsy”.
The stewards noted that drivers had clashed in practice sessions before this season. In view of that pattern and the earlier warning, they escalated the punishment from a formal warning to a grid penalty, in line with past incidents involving contact in free practice.
They ruled that Verstappen had breached Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 d) of the FIA International Sporting Code, and that Lawson had breached Article 2 e) of the same chapter. As a result, both drivers will drop one place on the grid for Sunday’s race.
Verstappen: “Not very smart behaviour”
Speaking before the hearing, Verstappen rejected the suggestion that the pair had simply been unlucky and took aim at Lawson’s decision-making during the F1 Mexico City GP FP2 session.
“Well, I don’t think it’s called unlucky. Maybe not very smart behaviour, what he was trying to do there,” Verstappen said.
“I mean, at the end of the day, it’s not going to change my weekend. But if it were him, I would act a little bit smarter. Also, when you’re fighting for your seat, it’s not very smart behaviour.”
The stewards’ verdict means the clash will affect Verstappen’s weekend after all, as he will now start one place lower than his qualifying position.
Damage costs Verstappen downforce
Red Bull’s mechanics spent most of the session repairing Verstappen’s car, and the Dutchman rejoined with around 20 minutes remaining. Despite lingering damage, he set a 1:18.138 to finish fifth, while Lawson recovered to ninth.
Verstappen confirmed that the impact had broken off a key piece of aerodynamic bodywork.
“I mean that whatever you call it, the barge board or whatever this thing is called, was broken off. So of course you lose downforce for that.”
The four-time World Champion took some encouragement from his pace, but felt Red Bull still had work to do.
“Not bad, but there’s still a few things that I want to improve. Of course, I only had one session. I think it’s not amazing for everyone out there in terms of grip.”
“So whatever you feel yourself, when you look at the onboards of everyone else, I think no one is really having a good time in terms of driving. I just need to find a little bit more pace in our car to make a little jump up.”
Altitude and Ferrari
Mexico City’s high altitude strips downforce from the cars, and the 2026 machinery leaves drivers with even less to work with. Verstappen admitted the conditions demand patience.
“Even more sliding, you need to be very patient with your driving. So yeah, I mean personally it’s not the most fun, but you also know that that’s a different challenge. You just need to try and understand it more.”
Ferrari swept both Friday sessions through Charles Leclerc, and Verstappen expects the Scuderia to remain a threat.
“They’ve been quicker already many sessions the last few weeks. So this is a track where you need even more low speed performance. So it should normally of course play into their hands.”
Both drivers now head into Saturday’s Qualifying knowing they will start one place lower than they earn, while Verstappen also turns his attention to finding the extra pace he needs.
