Verstappen and Lawson handed grid penalties after practice clash in Mexico

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will both start Sunday's race one grid place lower than they qualify, after stewards punished the pair for a clash during Friday's second practice session.

The incident unfolded in the Foro Sol, the stadium section of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, as Verstappen attempted to pass Lawson heading towards Turn 12. The Racing Bulls driver defended the position, putting the two cars side by side as they entered the stadium.

According to Yahoo Sports, Verstappen was on the outside through Turn 13, where he felt he had been forced off the track by his former Red Bull team-mate. He then ran over the kerbs at Turn 14, after which contact occurred between the two cars. The clash damaged Verstappen's barge boards, leaving him to manage the problem for the rest of the session.

Speaking afterwards, Verstappen said he could not understand what had happened from Lawson's side, telling Motorsport.com: "For me, it's just not very smart behavior when you're in his position, to pick a fight with me."

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane played down the severity of the moment, framing it as "a storm in a teacup" tied partly to the demands of the circuit in Mexico. He explained the importance of a fast final sector on preparation laps to bring tyres into the right window before a push lap, adding: "Without that, you risk front locking and things like that. They were both going for that and I think if I describe it with one word, it's just unnecessary."

Both drivers were summoned to the FIA stewards, who took hours to reach their verdict. The stewards' document noted that, approaching Turn 12, Verstappen's car was on a preparation lap while Lawson's was on a cool-down lap readying for another push lap.

The stewards stated that "the drivers of both cars behaved in a manner that was considered unacceptable", particularly given a warning issued at that morning's Team Managers meeting. Both drivers, the document added, admitted the moves were "unnecessary" and "clumsy".

Citing a pattern of similar clashes between drivers in free practice this season, the stewards opted to escalate the sanction beyond a formal warning to a grid-position penalty, consistent with how earlier contact incidents in practice have been treated.

Permane suggested both drivers would view the incident differently once emotions settled. "I'm sure both drivers got their opinion on it. I think in the cold light of day, they'll be calm and think, actually, we could have both done better," he told Motorsport.com. "I don't think anyone's picking a fight with anyone, that's for sure. I think it's just one of those things. And as I said: unnecessary."

With the grid penalties confirmed, both drivers go into qualifying knowing a strong lap will only partly offset the drop they face for Sunday's race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.