Retour
A Formula One driver has been disqualified from the qualifying result at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The starting order for Sunday's race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has been shaken up as a result. But one thing definitely remaining the same is that Lewis Hamilton is on pole position for the 105th time in his long F1 career, but for the first time since 2023 and for the first time as a Ferrari driver.
The seven-time world champion achieved that by outpacing former Mercedes team-mate George Russell and his current partner Charles Leclerc, who were second and third quickest respectively. But a post-session disqualification for one of the ther Q3 runners has shaken up the other further back.
After qualifying, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported a problem with the car driven by Liam Lawson. Bauer believed the New Zealander's Racing Bulls was "was in breach of the minimum MGU-K power requirement just after crossing the line on his fastest lap in Q2".
The F1 regulations state the power output from the battery can only decrease by a certain amount at a time, in a bid to avoid unsafe situations where there are massive closing speeds between cars with full batteries and those whose cells have been depleted.
The lap in question was the one that booked his place in the top 10, making him eligible to take part in Q3. Regardless, the matter was reported to the stewards and Lawson would have known what was coming.
Technical breaches and cars that fail FIA scrutineer checks are invariably disqualified from the session in which they were taking part. And it was eventually confirmed that Lawson has had his qualifying result scrubbed from the classification.
Lawson had qualified eighth on the road, but had already been bumped down to ninth by a one-place grid penalty. That was earned for a rather silly altercation with Max Verstappen on track during Friday practice, when both drivers refused to back out of flying laps when they came across each other on track and it resulted in them colliding.
Both cars were damaged, affecting the rest of their sessions, while the stewards saw fit to issue both drivers with the same punishment. Lawson's has now been rendered moot because of his qualifying disqualification, but Verstappen will still serve his and starts fifth despite being fourth fastest on the road.
Verstappen was furious with Lawson, accusing his former team-mate of "not-very-smart behaviour". He added: "At the end of the day, it's not going to change my weekend but, if I were him, I would be acting a little bit smarter. Also, when you're fighting for your seat, it's not very smart behaviour."
Clear the air talks were held between the two Red Bull-affiliated drivers and Lawson has publicly apologised for his part in the needless collision. He said: "I went to see Max this morning to apologise.
"Obviously, what happened yesterday doesn't need to happen, I don't want to have that happen in the future. And obviously, right now, it's not the best time."
He was referring to the fact that, despite a strong season on paper, he has not yet secured a place on the 2027 grid. Racing Bulls have to fit three strong candidates into two, with impressive rookie Arvid Lindblad and Formula 2 title contender Nikola Tsolov, the next driver off Red Bull's production line, also in the mix.
Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.
When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.
With Gullivers Sports Travel, you can experience the most iconic races on the Formula 1 calendar LIVE! Enjoy tickets, handpicked hotels, and seamless travel with one of the UK’s leading sports travel specialists.
Retour
Top
| Politique de confidentialité Conditions d'utilisation Contact |
Actualiser
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.