Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have been handed one grid place penalty for an “unacceptable” collision in second practice at the Mexico Grand Prix.
Verstappen tried to overtake Lawson on the inside at Turn 12 on his way to the old baseball stadium, but the Racing Bulls driver stopped, so the pair went side by side at Turn 13 and came into contact with debris from the Dutchman’s car at Turn 14, prompting a red flag.
Such collisions between drivers are extremely rare in practice and stewards said both drivers had “behaved inappropriately” and were warned about overtaking in the final sector at a team managers’ meeting on Friday morning.
The stewards also said Verstappen and Lawson admitted both actions were “unnecessary and clumsy”.
They added: “Noting similar incidents between drivers in Free Practice this year, the stewards have decided to increase the penalty from a formal warning to a grid position penalty, particularly in light of the warning given at the Team Managers’ meeting and in line with other incidents involving contact between cars in previous years.”
‘You’re not smart when you’re fighting for your seat’ – Verstappen hits out at Lawson
The incident was made even more surprising by the fact that the two teams, considered to be the junior team of Racing Bulls Red Bull, have the same owners.
The Racing Bulls are yet to confirm their 2027 driver line-up, and while the New Zealander sits ninth in the standings, 39 points ahead of team-mate Arvid Lindblad, and “best of the rest” behind the top four, Lawson’s future is up in the air.
Asked about the incident before the stewards’ verdict, Verstappen said: “I don’t think it’s called an accident. Maybe what he was trying to do there wasn’t very smart.
“At the end of the day, it’s not going to change my weekend.
“I’d be a little smarter if I were her. Also, it’s not very smart behavior when you’re fighting for your seat.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson collide during second practice in Mexico (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Red Bull youngster Nikola Tsolov, who made his Formula 1 practice debut in Mexico on Friday, is second in the Formula 2 championship and is in contention for next year’s Racing Bulls.
Verstappen, who holds a lot of power at Red Bull and signed a new long-term contract with the team in the summer, appeared to be referring to the situation with his comments.
The four-time world champion added in a separate interview: “When he saw me coming, he suddenly started accelerating. I don’t know what happened to him, he tried to pull me off the track with a hairpin.”
“Fighting with me is not very reasonable behavior for someone in his position.”
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Jamie Chadwick and Bernie Collins reflect on the collision 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 dropped by Red Bull, did not have to speak to the media after Friday’s race.
However, immediately after the incident, Lawson said on the radio that Verstappen was “literally driving at me”, adding: “Every time I get pulled back, what am I going to do? He actually came off the track and came at me.”
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 didn’t hear or see anything,” Permane said.
“I’m sure she has her opinion and Liam has his, but I don’t think it’s necessary and they can both do better.”
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Max Verstappen has criticized Liam Lawson after the two collided during second practice at the Mexico City GP.
Which driver made more mistakes?
Three-time W Series champion and Sky Sports F1 driver Jamie Chadwick agreed with Verstappen’s comments on the incident given the situation he was in.
“If it’s any other driver on the grid, you might hold back a little bit, but when it’s a big team, but also a decision-making team going into your race seat, should he do that? Probably not,” he said.
“But it was the same when he raced with Max as teammates – he raced really hard with him and they know exactly what this team is about, so I think it was the smartest thing for both of them, especially Liam’s side.”
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?'” he said.
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Liam Lawson joins Sky Sports F1’s Simon Lazenby and Naomi Schiff to prank Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad with a mock interview.
Is Lawson’s seat in jeopardy for 2027?
Lawson is the highest-placed midfielder in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, with only Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull ahead of him in the standings.
He bounced back from a disappointing two races with Red Bull at the start of 2025 and has done enough to be offered a full season at Racing Bulls this year, where he has edged out rookie Arvid Lindblad.
Lawson scored twice as many points as Lindblad and Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok felt it would be “unfair” for Lawson to lose his seat.
“He’s done a fantastic job this season. He’s come back with the mental burden of being kicked out of Red Bull’s top team, coming back to Red Bull for three races earlier this year. [when Isack Hadjar was injured] and he did well there. And it was delivered really, really well,” Chandhok said.
“I understand that the youth team is a university to prepare drivers for the best 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 to be there to train drivers.”
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After Liam Lawson pranked Arvid Lindblad with a fake interview, Lindblad gets revenge on his Racing Bulls teammate with some trouble in the F1 Paddock.
Collins added: “There are two aspects to the sevens team. One is to bring in a lot of young talent, get them ready for the senior team, but what Liam has shown is that he can step up to that senior team bench and it’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 little bit surprised that we’re talking about it because from the outside looking at what’s happened at Racing Bulls this year, the points he’s had and the races he’s had, he should have done quite, quite a lot.
“If anything, we have to discuss Arvid Lindblad’s spot because he’s not scoring that many points. He’s had a good year by rookie standards, but if you’re just looking at the scoreboard, which is important to teams, you have to discuss — did he do enough against Liam Lawson?”
Sky Sports F1 live Mexico City GP schedule
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Take a look at the most dramatic moments from the Mexico City Grand Prix
Saturday, October 31
17.15: Mexico City Grand Prix 3rd practice (session starts at 18.30)
20:00: Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying round preparation
21:00: MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
11pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday, November 1
18:30: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP build-up
20:00: MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
22:00: Checkered Flag: Mexico City GP reaction
11:00 p.m.: Ted’s notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Mexico City, where Kimi Antonelli can win the Drivers’ Championship live on Sky Sports F1 at 8pm on Sunday (set from 6.30pm). Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel whenever you want