Liam Lawson lost a P8 starting position for the Mexico City Grand Prix after being excluded from qualifying.

Lawson had claimed what was, in midfield terms, a pole position after reaching Q3 for the 11th time this year. He outpaced teammate Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

But the Kiwi was disqualified because, after one of his laps in Q2, he did not ‘lift off the power immediately, which meant he didn’t ‘achieve the regulated step-down’ in energy deployment.

F1’s regulations are far too complicated and Liam Lawson’s penalty proves it

For the stewards, this was a black-and-white breach of the technical regulations, which necessitated a disqualification even though Racing Bulls had reported the breach themselves.

The rule is designed to ensure that cars don’t suddenly lose speed out on track, which could pose a safety issue. Earlier this year, Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains found a loophole that allowed them to shut off the MGU-K immediately, rather than gradually, but this was closed by the FIA.

As acknowledged in the FIA’s decision document, Lawson’s throttle activity generated no sporting advantage, and yet it has carried an extreme sporting penalty. If that seems incongruous, it’s because it is.

The stewards point out that ‘there are a multitude of precedents’ for disqualifying a driver for such technical infringements. The teams are fully aware of the rules and the consequences, and everybody else complied.

But equally, the very existence of this rule proves that the 2026 regulations are far too complex. Even if it’s necessary for safety reasons, it’s not as if Lawson was driving dangerously; the erratic power units themselves have created the perceived risk.

Speaking in August, via RacingNews365, Lawson said: “We had a terrible race at Spa with a lot of bugs and issues like that, so it is not super fun, but it is part of the new regulations.

“[…] There are things that you can do to trigger a bug that happens, and it starts making something else worse, so yeah, it is obviously extremely complicated.”

It’s a point Lawson has made multiple times during the season. These rules are a head-scratcher even for the best drivers and engineers in the world.

Lawson and Racing Bulls would struggle to explain to their fans what exactly went wrong on Saturday and why it merits a back-of-the-grid start. That’s a problem for F1.

This isn’t the same as, say, a car being underweight or having excessive plank wear. In those instances, the infringement may be minor, but it’s obvious how a team might gain an advantage.

Here, it feels as if Lawson has fallen victim to a quirk of these rocket-science regulations. It would be in the interests of everyone, inside and outside the sport, if they were simplified as much as possible in the coming years.