Practice clash has consequences: Verstappen and Lawson each drop a grid place
After their collision in second practice, the stewards penalised Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson: both drop one place on the grid for the race and receive one penalty point each.
Archive image · Photo: Yu Chu Chin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The battle between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson in second practice has had consequences. According to Motorsport-Total, both drivers will drop one grid place for the Mexico City Grand Prix and receive one penalty point each, taking Verstappen to two points and Lawson to five. The stewards deemed both drivers' behaviour unacceptable, especially after team managers had been warned that morning.
The Red Bull driver and the Racing Bulls driver touched several times in the stadium section, leaving carbon-fibre debris on track and causing a brief red flag. Lawson said on the radio that Verstappen "literally just drove into" him, according to Motorsport Week. Verstappen damaged his floor and, according to Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché, lost a lot of downforce.
"Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there," Verstappen said, according to Nextgen-Auto. "If I would be him, I would act a little bit smarter. Also when you're fighting for your seat, it's not very smart behaviour." Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane summed it up in one word: "Unnecessary."