Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson were each given a one-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix after colliding in second practice.
The decision means the incident will carry a direct race-day consequence, even though it happened in FP2 rather than during qualifying or the grand prix itself. Practice contact is usually something drivers want to avoid, especially when there is nothing on the line except preparation.
Why the stewards acted
Verstappen and Lawson are part of the broader Red Bull stable, even if they are not teammates, and the collision drew a response because driver-on-driver crashes in practice are considered unnecessary. There is no strategic gain in a clash like that, only damage and distraction before the weekend’s main session.
That makes the penalty more notable than a routine practice incident. Verstappen also carries significant influence within Red Bull, with the article noting he holds as much sway within the team as any driver has at any team in recent times.
What Verstappen said
After the collision, Verstappen did not frame the incident as bad luck. He said Lawson’s move was “maybe not very smart behaviour,” and added that if he were Lawson he would “act a little bit smarter,” especially when fighting for a seat.
He also said the penalty would not change his weekend. Still, the exchange adds another layer to a situation that already has implications for both drivers, particularly with Lawson’s position under scrutiny and Verstappen still firmly at the center of Red Bull’s weekend story in Mexico City.
