Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson penalized for incident at Mexico City GP

At the Mexico City Grand Prix, both Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson received a one-place grid penalty due to an incident that occurred during the second practice session on Friday. The collision took place near Turn 12 when Verstappen was on a preparation lap and Lawson on a cooldown lap. The two cars touched wheels multiple times between Turns 12 and 14, causing debris to scatter across the track and prompting a red flag to clear the circuit.

Following the incident, race stewards conducted an investigation and summoned both drivers to a meeting. Verstappen and Lawson admitted that their moves were unnecessary and "clumsy." Consequently, the stewards decided to penalize both drivers by dropping them one position on the grid for the upcoming race. The decision was made more severe due to previous warnings given at the Team Managers meeting and in response to other incidents involving driver contact during practice sessions in previous years.

Verstappen expressed his disappointment with Lawson's actions, stating that they were not very smart behavior. He went on to say that if he were in Lawson's position, he would have acted more cautiously. Despite the penalty, Verstappen finished the practice session fifth fastest, while Lawson secured ninth place. To stay updated on the latest Formula 1 news, fans can download the new SB Nation app and join the F1 Community, where they can read the latest updates and engage in discussions with fans worldwide.