Verstappen, Lawson Get Grid Drops as Leclerc Leads Mexico FP2
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will each drop one place on the starting grid for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix after the stewards penalized both drivers for contact during Friday’s second practice session. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, completed a Ferrari sweep of the opening day by setting the fastest time in both practice sessions.
The incident and the timing results create two separate storylines before qualifying: Ferrari showed the strongest single-lap pace on Friday, while Verstappen and Lawson now carry penalties that will be applied after the qualifying order is set.
Why Verstappen and Lawson were penalized
Verstappen and Lawson came together in the stadium section at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. According to Formula 1’s report on the stewards’ decision, Verstappen was on a preparation lap approaching Turn 12 while Lawson was on a cool-down lap before another push lap.
Lawson attempted to move back ahead through the following left-hander. Verstappen bounced over the exit kerb and rejoined alongside the Racing Bulls driver, and the cars made contact. The Red Bull sustained floor damage, Lawson’s car lost part of its front wing and debris prompted a red flag.
After reviewing video and data and hearing from both drivers, the stewards gave each driver a one-place grid penalty and one penalty point. Their decision said the moves were unnecessary and “clumsy,” noting that teams had been warned about similar practice conduct earlier in the day.
Leclerc leads a close top five
Leclerc’s best FP2 lap was 1:17.827. The FIA’s official session report placed Lando Norris second, 0.103 seconds behind, with George Russell only 0.003 seconds further back.
- 1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: 1:17.827
- 2. Lando Norris, McLaren: +0.103
- 3. George Russell, Mercedes: +0.106
- 4. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes: +0.217
- 5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull: +0.311
Leclerc completed 35 laps in FP2 and also led the opening session, giving Ferrari a clean Friday at the top of the timing screens. That does not establish the competitive order for qualifying: teams can run different fuel loads, power-unit modes and test programs in practice, and the low-grip track continued to evolve through the session.
Hamilton’s session ends early
Lewis Hamilton stopped on track after reporting a loss of power near Turn 13. Race control used a Virtual Safety Car while the Ferrari was recovered. Hamilton completed 13 laps and finished 11th, 0.685 seconds behind Leclerc.
Ferrari had not established a public root cause in the official session reports reviewed for this article, so the stoppage should be treated as a reported power-unit problem rather than a confirmed component failure.
When qualifying and the race start
The official event timetable schedules final practice for 11:30 a.m. local time and qualifying for 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 31. The 71-lap Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, November 1.
Verstappen and Lawson’s penalties will move each driver back one position from the grid slot earned through qualifying, subject to the normal application of any other penalties. The result will matter in a title run-in that has already produced a pivotal U.S. round, where Kimi Antonelli won at Circuit of the Americas.
Image note: The featured photo shows Charles Leclerc driving the 2026 Ferrari SF-26 at the Dutch Grand Prix. It is an illustrative archive image and was not photographed in Mexico City.
