Liam Lawson has lost his ninth-place starting position for the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix following a disqualification by the FIA. Racing Bulls had successfully placed both cars into Q3 during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but Lawson now faces a recovery drive.
Technical Infringement and MGU-K Breach
The FIA summoned the driver after determining that Lawson was in breach of the minimum MGU-K power requirement just after crossing the line on his fastest lap in Q2. Autosport.com reported that Lawson ran out of battery power at the end of his flying lap, which caused his MGU-K deployment to drop off completely and the power output to fall from 350kW to zero instantly.
Technical regulations dictate that electrical power must be reduced gradually rather than abruptly. Article C5.12.6 of the technical regulations specifies maximum reductions of either 50 or 100kW per second. According to the stewards’ report, evidence showed that the driver did not lift off the power immediately after the control line, preventing the required step-down rate from being achieved.
Stewards’ Ruling and Consequences
During the hearing, all parties agreed that Racing Bulls gained no sporting advantage from the infraction. However, the stewards noted that non-compliance with technical regulations is not excused by a lack of performance advantage and requires disqualification.
The stewards stated that despite the team self-disclosing the breach and all mitigating circumstances, numerous precedents require a disqualification penalty when a car fails to comply with technical regulations at all times during an event.
The rampdown rate is a sensitive issue following FIA interventions earlier in the year to clamp down on qualifying tricks previously employed by Mercedes and Red Bull. Because teams received multiple warnings, the governing body proceeded with the penalty.
Lawson will start from the back of the grid on Sunday, offering a boost to Alpine in the battle for fifth place in the constructors’ championship, though Racing Bulls maintains a 33-point advantage in the standings.
