Lawson disqualified from Mexico City qualifying over MGU-K technical breach

Liam Lawson will start the Mexico City Grand Prix from the back of the grid after the FIA disqualified him from qualifying at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday, stripping him of the ninth-place starting position he had secured for Racing Bulls.

The New Zealander had been part of a strong afternoon for the team, which got both cars into Q3 and qualified eighth and ninth — the best of the non-top-four constructors. That result unravelled when stewards summoned Lawson over a technical infringement relating to the MGU-K power rampdown rate recorded after he completed his fastest lap in Q2 at 15:47:36.

The breach centred on Article C5.12.6 of the technical regulations, which governs how quickly a driver can reduce electrical power from the Energy Recovery System’s kinetic motor-generator unit. The rules stipulate that power must not be cut at a rate greater than 50kW per second at circuits where the FIA determines the power-limited distance exceeds 3,500 metres, or 100kW per second at all other events.

According to the stewards’ report, Lawson did not lift off the throttle immediately after crossing the finish line on his quickest Q2 run. That delay meant the subsequent reduction in MGU-K deployment was steeper than the regulations permit. The stewards’ document stated: “After the control line at the end of his fastest lap in Q2, the driver did not lift off the power immediately. This resulted in the rate of reduction of MGU-K deployment required to achieve the regulated ‘step down’ not being achieved.”

Racing Bulls argued during the hearing that the infringement had provided no performance advantage, a point accepted by all parties present. The stewards acknowledged the finding but ruled it was insufficient to avoid disqualification. Technical regulation breaches in Formula 1 are treated as absolute — there is no provision for a penalty short of exclusion when a car fails to comply with the technical rules, regardless of whether a competitive gain resulted.

Teammate Isack Hadjar retains his eighth-place grid slot, leaving Racing Bulls with half the result they had briefly appeared to secure. Lawson will now need to work through the field on Sunday afternoon in Mexico City.