Lawson disqualified from Mexico City qualifying after MGU-K breach

Liam Lawson has been disqualified from qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix after his Racing Bulls car breached the regulations governing MGU-K power deployment. He is now set to start the race from the back of the grid.

Lawson had qualified eighth, ahead of team-mate Arvid Lindblad, in a close session. A one-place penalty for an earlier FP2 incident with Max Verstappen had already been due to drop him to ninth. The disqualification removes that result altogether.

The decision followed a review of Lawson’s fastest Q2 lap. The technical issue arose just after he crossed the control line: the power demand and electrical output from the ERS-K fell faster than the rules allow.

Stewards say the required power reduction was not achieved

The stewards heard from Lawson, Racing Bulls representatives, the FIA Technical Delegate, the Single Seater Sporting Director and members of the FIA technical team. Their review found that Lawson did not immediately lift off the power after crossing the line at the end of his lap. As a result, the required reduction in MGU-K deployment was not completed at the regulated rate.

Racing Bulls argued that the breach had brought no performance benefit. The stewards accepted the evidence presented, but ruled that an absence of advantage did not remove the requirement to comply with the Technical Regulations throughout the event.

The team had disclosed the breach itself, which the stewards noted as a mitigating circumstance. However, they said precedent required disqualification when a car was found not to comply with the technical rules. The original eighth-place result therefore cannot stand, regardless of the team’s self-reporting or its argument over performance impact.

Grid penalty compounds Lawson’s qualifying setback

The ruling turns a strong qualifying position into a start from the rear, after Lawson had already faced a drop for the Verstappen incident. His exclusion also changes the position he had secured ahead of Lindblad in the session.

The outcome adds another twist to a weekend that had already included an on-track penalty and a technical investigation. Lawson’s pairing with Lindblad has also been a talking point in coverage of the Racing Bulls teammates’ partnership. For further Mexico City context, read our report on Racing Bulls’ FP1 line-up.

Lawson’s grid position now reflects the stewards’ technical ruling, not his qualifying pace: his lap had put him eighth before the breach was referred for review.