Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will each start the Mexico City Grand Prix one place lower than they qualify. The stewards punished both drivers for a clash in Friday's second practice that brought out the red flag.
Both had sat out the first session while rookies drove their cars. Early in FP2 Verstappen, on a preparation lap, passed Lawson into Turn 12. Lawson, who was cooling down before another push lap, tried to take the place back through the stadium section. Verstappen ran over the kerb on the exit and rejoined alongside the Racing Bulls car. The contact damaged the Red Bull's floor and Lawson's front wing, and the session was stopped to clear the debris.
The stewards looked at video and data, and both drivers admitted the moves were unnecessary. Practice incidents normally end in a formal warning. The stewards went further this time, because team managers had been warned about this kind of behaviour on Friday morning and there had been similar cases earlier in the season. Each driver also takes one penalty point.
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane put it plainly: "It's just not needed, and they can both do better."
The penalties hit a weekend where Kimi Antonelli can become Formula 1's youngest world champion. Charles Leclerc topped both Friday sessions for Ferrari.
Source
Original summary by Proventier.