Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have both received one-place penalties for an “unacceptable” crash in second practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen tried to pass Lawson on the inside at Turn 12 heading into the old baseball stadium, but the Racing Bulls driver held ground, so the pair went side-by-side through Turn 13 and made contact at Turn 14 with a piece of debris falling from the Dutchman’s car and prompting a red flag.
Clashes of this nature between drivers in practice are extremely rare, and stewards said both drivers “behaved in a way that was considered unacceptable” and that a warning had been given at the team managers’ meeting earlier on Friday about overtaking in the final sector.
The stewards also said Verstappen and Lawson both admitted the moves were “unnecessary and clumsy”.
They added: “Noting that there had been similar incidents this year of actions between drivers in Free Practice, the stewards have decided to escalate the penalty from an official warning to a grid position penalty, particularly given the warning given at the team managers’ meeting and in line with other incidents involving contact between cars in Free Practice in previous years.”
‘Not smart when you’re fighting for your country’ – Verstappen hits out at Lawson
The incident was made even more surprising by the fact that the two teams share the same owners, with Racing Bulls considered Red Bull’s youth team.
The Racing Bulls are yet to confirm their driver line-up for 2027 and Lawson’s future is up in the air despite the New Zealander sitting ninth in the standings, 39 points ahead of team-mate Arvid Lindblad and occupying the “best of the rest” position behind the top four.
Asked about the incident before the stewards’ decision, Verstappen said: “I don’t think it’s unlucky. Maybe not very smart behavior what he was trying to do there.
“At the end of the day, it’s not going to change my weekend.
“If I were him, I’d act a little smarter. Also, when you’re fighting for your country, it’s not very smart behavior.”
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson collided in second practice in Mexico (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, who made his F1 debut on Friday in Mexico, is second in the Formula 2 championship and remains in contention for a place at Racing Bulls next year.
Verstappen, who wields huge power at Red Bull and signed a new long-term deal with the team in the summer, appeared to be referring to that situation with his comments.
In a separate interview, the four-time world champion added: “When he saw me coming, he suddenly started accelerating. I don’t know what was going through his head, that he wanted to run me off the track at the hairpin.
“That’s not very reasonable behavior from someone in his position, to pick a fight with me.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jamie Chadwick and Bernie Collins weigh in on the clash between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson during FP2 at the Mexico City GP
Lawson, who was Verstappen’s teammate for the first two rounds of the 2025 season before being brutally knocked out by Red Bull, was not required to speak to the media after Friday’s on-track action.
However, shortly after the incident, Lawson said on the radio that Verstappen “literally drove into me” and added “if I pull over every time, what do I do? He actually went off the track on my side”.
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said both drivers were at fault for the “totally unnecessary” collision.
“I don’t know what Max said, I haven’t heard or seen anything,” said Permane.
“I’m sure he has his opinion and Liam has his opinion, but mine is, it’s just not necessary and they can both do better.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen has criticized Liam Lawson after a collision between the two during the second practice session at the Mexico City GP.
Which driver was more at fault?
Three-time W Series champion and Sky Sports F1’s Jamie Chadwick agreed with Verstappen’s comments about the incident, given the situation he is in.
“If it’s any other driver on the grid, you can stay a little bit on the ground, but when it’s the senior team, the team that also has an influence on the decision going into your race venue, should he do that? Probably not,” she said.
“But he was the same when he raced with Max as teammates – he did it really hard and they know exactly what that team is about, so I don’t think it was the wisest thing from either of them, but especially Liam.”
Former McLaren and Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins says both drivers will “regret their decisions”.
“Both drivers had an opportunity to do something different there and both drivers will be thinking ‘was that corner really worth it?'” she said.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Liam Lawson joins Sky Sports F1’s Simon Lazenby and Naomi Schiff to prank Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad with a fake interview.
Is Lawson’s seat at risk for 2027?
Lawson is the top midfield driver in the F1 drivers’ championship, with only Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull ahead of him in the standings.
He has bounced back from two disappointing races with Red Bull at the start of 2025 and has done enough to give him a full season at Racing Bulls this year, where he has overtaken rookie Arvid Lindblad.
Lawson has scored twice as many points as Lindblad and Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok thinks it would be “unfair” if Lawson loses his place.
“He’s done a fantastic job this season. He’s come back carrying the mental baggage of being fired from Red Bull’s top team, came back to Red Bull earlier this year for three races (when Isack Hadjar was injured) and did a good job there. And he delivered really, really well,” Chandhok said.
“I understand that the youth team is a university to prepare pilots for the top team. Today, they are a strong midfield team, they have their own identity, their own sponsors, their own reasons to be competitive and not just be there to train pilots.”
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
After Liam Lawson pranked Arvid Lindblad with a fake interview, Lindblad takes revenge on his Racing Bulls teammate with some F1 Paddock challenges
Collins added: “There are two aspects to a feeder team. One is bringing in very young talent, preparing them for the big team, but what Liam showed is that he can step up to that big team chair and that’s important to have someone current who can step up at any time.
“I don’t really know what he can do and I’m a bit surprised we’re talking about it because looking from the outside what’s happened at Racing Bulls this year, the points he’s scored and the races he’s done, he should have done enough, more than enough.
“If anything, we have to discuss Arvid Lindblad’s place because he’s the one who hasn’t scored that many points. He’s had a good year by rookie standards, but if you just look at the scoreboard, which is what’s important for teams, that’s what you have to discuss – did he do enough against Liam Lawson?”
Sky Sports F1 Mexico City GP live schedule
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Check out some of the most dramatic moments that happened at the Mexico City Grand Prix
Saturday, October 31
17:15: Third Practice of the Mexican Grand Prix (session starts at 18:30)
20:00: Mexican Grand Prix qualifying preparation
21:00: MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
11:00 p.m.: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 1
18:30: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP Preparation
20:00: MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Checkered flag: Mexico City GP reaction
11:00 p.m.: Teddy’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Mexico City, where Kimi Antonelli can win the drivers’ championship in Sunday’s race at 8pm (build-up from 6.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
