Verstappen and Lawson penalized after practice collision in Mexico

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will each start one position lower on the grid for the Mexico City Grand Prix after a collision during Friday practice. Race stewards determined that both drivers were at fault for the incident, which occurred in the stadium section of the circuit. The decision to issue sporting penalties for an infraction in a practice session is unusual for the sport.

The four-time world champion and the New Zealander were running through three corners side by side near the end of their laps when their cars struck each other side-on. The FIA report noted that Verstappen was preparing for a flying lap while Lawson was on a cool-down lap after a timed run. Stewards stated that both drivers behaved in a manner they considered unacceptable. The report added that both drivers admitted their moves were unnecessary and clumsy.

Verstappen criticized Lawson's driving immediately after the contact. He described the action as not very smart behavior and suggested Lawson tried to drive him off the track at the hairpin. Verstappen said he did not know what was going through Lawson's head, noting that picking a fight with him was not sensible for someone in his position. He added that if he were in Lawson's seat, he would act a little smarter given the competition for future roles.

Lawson is currently competing for two seats at Racing Bulls for the next season. He is racing against his current team-mate Arvid Lindblad and Bulgarian Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov, who drove for the team in the first practice session on Friday. Verstappen holds an influential role within the Red Bull organization as their star driver. Lawson previously raced alongside Verstappen for two races at the start of 2025 before being moved back to the junior team. He returned to the senior car for three races this year to substitute for Isack Hadjar after a wrist injury.

Alan Permane, the team principal at Racing Bulls, called the incident unnecessary. He stated that he had not heard Verstappen's comments but believed both drivers could do better in the future. Permane said the clash was not needed and that his opinion was clear on the matter.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was the fastest driver in the session, beating McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.103 seconds. George Russell of Mercedes was third, just 0.003 seconds behind Norris. Kimi Antonelli, who is poised to win his first world title on Sunday, finished fourth. Russell said Ferrari appeared strongest at the moment but that the final qualifying session could go any way. Hamilton of Ferrari was 11th overall after a technical problem stopped him from completing his qualifying runs on the soft tire.

Hamilton said he felt good in the car but was unlucky with the technical issue. He noted that the team had improved the setup but that the lack of long-run data made it difficult to gauge performance, especially since overtaking is hard at this circuit. Russell added that they expected Ferrari to perform well on this type of circuit but remained confident in their own car.

Isack Hadjar finished fifth, ahead of the two Red Bull junior drivers. Arvid Lindblad and Lawson sandwiched Pierre Gasly of Alpine in the results, with Oscar Piastri of McLaren completing the top ten. Race simulation runs suggested that a one-stop strategy is the most likely approach for Sunday. Overtaking is expected to be difficult due to the challenge of staying close to other cars in the thin air at the circuit's 2,200-meter altitude.

Ten of the eleven teams sent rookie drivers to the track in the first session. Cadillac's Colton Herta was among them. The team is considering promoting him to a race seat next season. The FIA found that Herta is one point short of the points required for a superlicense, which is mandatory for racing in Formula 1. The team plans to have him complete one more practice session before the end of the season to secure the necessary points.