Verstappen and Lawson handed one-place Mexico F1 grid drops
Verstappen and Lawson face Mexico grid drops as Leclerc leads practice, Antonelli targets the title and Bottas faces a back-of-grid start.
- Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have each been given a one-place grid penalty for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
- The penalties were issued because the two drivers collided during the second practice session.
- Stewards reported that both drivers admitted their actions leading to the collision were "unnecessary and 'clumsy'".
- In addition to the grid drops, both drivers also received one penalty point on their licenses.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson have each received a one-place grid penalty for the Mexico City Grand Prix on November 1, 2026, after colliding during second practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 30.
The Mexico City weekend has also seen Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lead both practice sessions, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli move within reach of his first world championship and Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas receive a penalty that puts him at the back of the grid.
Stewards penalise both drivers
Verstappen and Lawson also received one penalty point each. The stewards reviewed video evidence and heard from both drivers and their team representatives before issuing their decisions.
Verstappen was preparing for a fast lap and Lawson was on a cooling-down lap before another attempt when their confrontation began approaching Turn 12. Contact damaged Verstappen’s floor and Lawson’s front wing, with debris prompting a brief red flag.
“Both drivers admitted the moves were unnecessary and ‘clumsy’,” the stewards wrote.
The stewards considered the behaviour unacceptable after a warning at the team managers’ meeting earlier that day. Similar incidents during the season and previous contact in practice informed their decision to impose grid penalties rather than a formal warning.
Leclerc leads both practice sessions
Leclerc completed a practice double with a second-session lap of 1 minute 17.827 seconds, finishing 0.103 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Mercedes driver George Russell was third, only 0.003 seconds behind Norris, followed by team-mate Antonelli. Verstappen finished fifth despite the damage to his car, while Lawson was ninth.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton had a less productive session after a power-unit problem forced him to stop on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car.
“Something’s wrong with the power. I lost all power from Turn 13,” Hamilton reported over the radio.
Antonelli needs ninth place for the title
Antonelli can secure his first drivers’ championship with ninth place or better in Mexico, earning the two points needed to put the title beyond his rivals’ reach.
The Mercedes driver leads Russell by 123 points and Hamilton by 124. Five races remain, with a maximum of 125 points available, according to Formula 1’s published title calculations.
Antonelli can also clinch the championship without scoring if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins the race. A tenth-place finish would leave Russell able to prolong the contest by winning in Mexico.
Bottas faces back-of-grid start
Bottas received a cumulative 50-place grid penalty after Cadillac exceeded his permitted allocation of five power-unit components.
Cadillac fitted a fifth internal combustion engine and turbocharger, plus a fourth energy store, control electronics unit and motor generator unit–kinetic.
Each first breach of a component allowance carries a 10-place penalty. Combined penalties exceeding 15 places require a driver to start at the back of the field.
Bottas’s final grid position remains subject to his classification in qualifying and allocation under the grid rules.
