Verstappen and Lawson handed one-place grid penalties after practice clash

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have both been handed a one-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix after a clash in Friday’s second practice session.

The stewards said the drivers had described their actions as “unnecessary and clumsy”. They also took into account that teams had been warned about such conduct earlier in the day and that this was not the first incident during a practice session.

Lawson, driving for Racing Bulls, did not yield to Verstappen, who responded by cutting across the New Zealander’s car at the next corner. Verstappen’s Red Bull sustained damage to its floor. He set the fifth-fastest time, while Lawson was ninth.

Verstappen called Lawson’s move “not very smart”, saying: “It’s certainly not very clever, especially because he is still fighting for his place in the team. But it doesn’t change my weekend.” Lawson said earlier in the week that he did not know whether he would keep his Racing Bulls seat next season.

Qualifying is on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s race. Verstappen, a four-time world champion, is already out of contention for this season’s title. His team-mate Isack Hadjar is also due to see the stewards on Saturday over an alleged incident involving a fan after the fan had taken a selfie with him.