Verstappen and Lawson fined after collision in Mexico City practice

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson each received a one-place grid penalty for a collision during Friday practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The incident occurred near the end of the lap in the stadium section, where the two cars made side-on contact after running through three consecutive corners side by side.

Race stewards determined that both drivers were at fault for the crash. They issued a sporting penalty for a practice session infringement, a step the officials described as unusual. The FIA stewards report noted that Verstappen was preparing for a flying lap while Lawson was on a cool-down lap following a timed run. The report stated that both drivers behaved in a manner considered unacceptable and admitted their moves were unnecessary and clumsy.

Verstappen, a four-time world champion, criticized Lawson's driving line before the verdict was announced. He described the New Zealander's actions as not very smart behavior. Verstappen said Lawson appeared to try to drive him off the track at the hairpin. The Dutchman suggested that such aggressive driving is not sensible for a driver in Lawson's current position within the Formula 1 hierarchy.

Lawson is one of three drivers competing for two seats at Racing Bulls for the next season. He is vying for a spot alongside current team-mate Arvid Lindblad and Formula 2 leader Nikola Tsolov, who drove for Racing Bulls in the first practice session. Verstappen holds an influential role within the Red Bull organization as their star driver, which adds weight to his comments.

Alan Permane, team principal of Racing Bulls, described the incident as unnecessary. He stated that both drivers could do better. Permane said he had not heard Verstappen's full comments but acknowledged that both parties likely hold strong opinions. He emphasized that the clash was not needed given the context of the practice session.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari set the fastest time in the session, finishing 0.103 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris. George Russell of Mercedes was third, just 0.003 seconds behind Norris. Kimi Antonelli, also driving for Mercedes, finished fourth, 0.217 seconds off the pace. The top four teams appeared closely matched during race simulation runs, with little difference between soft and medium tires.

Antonelli is poised to clinch his first world title on Sunday. Only a victory by Russell or Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton can theoretically prevent the championship win. If Russell wins, Antonelli needs to finish ninth. If Hamilton wins, Antonelli needs to finish 10th to secure the title. This potential coronation is the primary focus of the weekend.

Lewis Hamilton finished 11th overall after stopping on track with a technical problem. He did not complete his qualifying simulation runs on the soft tire. Hamilton said he felt good in the car but was unlucky with the issue. He noted that the team had improved the setup but did not complete the long run, making it difficult to assess performance. He added that overtaking is difficult at this track.

George Russell said Ferrari appears strongest at the moment, noting that Leclerc did not properly finish his lap and Hamilton had an issue. He expected the Italian team to perform well on this circuit but said the final qualifying session could go any way. Behind the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls drivers Arvid Lindblad and Lawson sandwiched Alpine's Pierre Gasly. McLaren's Oscar Piastri completed the top 10.

The session was marked by ten of the eleven teams running rookie drivers. Cadillac's Colton Herta was among them. The team is considering promoting Herta to a race seat next season in place of Valtteri Bottas. Herta is currently one point short of earning a superlicence, which is required to race in Formula 1. The team plans to have him complete one more practice session before the end of the season to secure the license.