Liam Lawson disqualified from Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying

Liam Lawson secured eighth place in the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying session, but he will not start the race from that position. The FIA has disqualified Lawson due to his failure to comply with specific technical regulations. According to the stewards, Lawson did not reduce the MGU-K deployment immediately after the control line at the end of his fastest lap in Q2, thus not achieving the required 'step down' in power.

Despite Visa Cash App Racing Bulls arguing that Lawson did not gain any performance advantage from this, the technical regulations do not exempt non-compliance if no performance benefit is obtained. The stewards emphasized that these regulations must be adhered to at all times during an event. Even though VCARB self-disclosed the breach, precedents dictate that disqualification is imposed, including with mitigating factors.

To participate in the race, Lawson must now request approval from the stewards, which will likely be granted under the sport’s "107%" rule. According to this rule, he has demonstrated a qualifying time within 107% of the fastest time during Q1 earlier in the week, allowing him to start the race from the back of the grid.