Visa Cash App Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson will start from the back of the grid following his disqualification from qualifying for a technical breach. Having set eighth quickest time in Q3, the Kiwi was originally facing a one-grid penalty after Stewards did not take a liking to his and Max Verstappen’s on-track ‘antics’ in FP2 on Friday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Regarding his qualifying disqualification, Lawson was deemed to be “in breach of the minimum MGU-K power requirement just after crossing the line on his fastest lap in Q2”.
The FIA Technical Delegate’s report added: “The driver maximum power demand and the electrical DC power of the ERS-K were reduced at greater rates than what is permitted by the Regulations.”
“Evidence submitted, which was accepted by all parties present, showed that after the control line at the end of his fastest lap in Q2, the driver did not lift off the power immediately,” read the stewards’ decision document. “This resulted in the rate of reduction of MGU-K deployment required to achieve the regulated ‘step down’, not being achieved.
“The team argued that this did not provide any performance advantage however it is clear that non-compliance with the Technical Regulations is not excused if no performance advantage is gained. Further, these regulations require that a car must comply with them at all times during an event.
“The stewards note in particular that the team self-disclosed the breach however there are a multitude of precedents that require us, despite all mitigating circumstances, to impose a penalty of disqualfication where a car does not comply with the Technical Regulations.”
The Visa Cash App Racing Bull’s driver will now start from the back of the grid.
With regard to Friday’s FP2 incident between Lawson and Verstappen, the Stewards concluded that:
“On the approach to Turn 12, Car 3 [Verstappen] was on a preparation lap and Car 30 [Lawson] was on a cool down lap preparing for another push lap,” read the stewards’ decision document. “The drivers of both cars behaved in a manner that was considered unacceptable by the stewards particularly in view of the warning that had been given at the Team Managers meeting earlier this day.
“Both drivers admitted the moves were unnecessary and ‘clumsy’.
“Noting that there had been similar incidents this year of actions between drivers in Free Practice, the stewards have decided to escalate the penalty from that of a formal warning to a grid position penalty particularly in view of the warning that had been provided at the Team Managers meeting and consistent with other incidents involving contact between the cars in Free Practice in previous years.”
VCARB Team Principal Alan Permane was not impressed with either driver.
“I think one word, just ‘unnecessary’ in a practice session; completely unnecessary, and I say that to both of them,” commented Permane, after Verstappen criticised Lawson for “not very smart behaviour”.
“I don’t know what Max has said, I haven’t heard anything, but I’m sure he’s got his opinion and I’m sure Liam has got his opinion. Mine is it’s just not needed, and they can both do better.”
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap, 0.009s from Mercedes George Russell with Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli on the second row.
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