Verstappen and Lawson Handed Grid Penalties After 'Unacceptable' Practice Clash

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have each been handed a one-place grid penalty for the Mexico City Grand Prix after stewards deemed their second-practice collision "unacceptable." Contact came at Turn 14 after the pair ran side by side through the stadium section, with debris from Verstappen's car triggering a red flag.

Why it matters:

Contact between drivers in practice is rare, and the stewards escalated the sanction beyond a formal warning—partly because overtaking in the final sector had already been flagged at Friday's team managers' meeting. The penalty could prove costly at a circuit where grid position matters, and it has inflamed an already delicate dynamic between Red Bull and its junior team.

The details:

• Verstappen dived up the inside at Turn 12; Lawson held his ground, and contact followed at Turn 14.
• Both drivers admitted the moves were "unnecessary and clumsy," per the stewards.
• Verstappen questioned Lawson's judgement: "When you are fighting for your seat, it's not very smart behaviour."
• Lawson sits ninth in the standings, 39 points clear of teammate Arvid Lindblad, but his Racing Bulls future is uncertain with F2 runner-up Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings.
• Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane called the clash "completely unnecessary," saying both drivers "can do better."
• Pundits Jamie Chadwick and Bernie Collins agreed both were at fault, though Chadwick leaned toward Lawson bearing more blame given Red Bull's influence over his future.

What's next:

Both serve their penalties on Sunday, with the championship picture already tilting toward Kimi Antonelli. Lawson's on-track response—and whether Red Bull's hierarchy remembers this moment when it finalizes its 2027 line-up—bears watching.