For the third time this season, at the Mexican Grand Prix, a Formula 1 driver broke the golden rule of his team.

The Mexican Grand Prix has been the biggest weekend of the F1 year so far. The winner of the race, in his typically imperious style that we have seen little of this year, was Max Verstappen. However, the marquee moment of the event was Kimi Antonelli's third-placed finish, which saw him secure the World Championship and become the youngest-ever winner in the process at just 20 years old - a whole three years younger than the previous holder, Sebastian Vettel.

What has become an almost equally large talking point, however, is the Ferrari fracas. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who finished first and third in qualifying respectively, battled it out through the first corners. At turn four, the latter cut across the chicane to take the lead, causing him to receive a five-second penalty and causing the former to run wide to try and defend the manoeuvre, which allowed for Verstappen to surge through and take the lead, an incident which left the Brit incensed.

Race day was a turbulent day, with conviviality and controversy in equal measure. However, even during the practice sessions, there were plenty of talking points.

Team's Golden Rule Broken During Race Weekend

While most will remember Antonelli's unprecedented Drivers' Championship win and Ferrari's fiery tensions, Liam Lawson had a memorable practice session, but not for the best reasons.

After being on the sidelines for FP1 to allow Nikola Tsolov to drive so that Racing Bulls could fulfill their rookie quota, Lawson returned to the car for FP2.

Lawson drew criticism upon returning to his car, however, after he and Verstappen collided in FP2. The New Zealand driver refused to yield to Verstappen in turn 12, which saw the Dutch driver run off the track. Upon returning, in a clearly unsafe manner, the Red Bull racer then rammed into Lawson, causing a minor collision.

The incident was met unfavourably by both constructors, with Laurent Mekies and Alan Permane calling the crash "unacceptable" from both of them.

Verstappen, meanwhile, called on Lawson to be "smarter", particularly given he is fighting for his place next year. Yet, despite being mostly at fault, the four-time world champion, one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, felt he was being unjustly singled out by the stewards.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls, however, apportioned blame equally to both parties, primarily due to one rule that Lawson breached - to never battle Verstappen.

What the Rule Actually Is

In the paddock, it is an open secret that the Dutchman cannot be challenged by any driver in the Red Bull family, regardless of context. The rule break this weekend makes it the third time this season that the New Zealander has broken the sacred rule after incidents in Miami and Malaysia.

This leaves Lawson in a precarious situation as he continues to compete for his place on the 2027 grid. While breaking Red Bull's golden rule would have pleased no one, it did not mar his race, and perhaps even emboldened him, as he fought from a pit lane start to a seventh-placed finish.

With just four races of the season left, if Lawson is to secure his seat next year, he will need to show more of the steely determination and skilled driving displayed on race day, and less of the maverick behaviour shown during practice.