Liam Lawson was disqualified from qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, October 31, 2026, after the FIA found a power-unit breach on his Racing Bulls car. He had qualified eighth and was due to start ninth. He now starts from the back of the grid, Formula1 reported.
The FIA disqualified Liam Lawson from qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, leaving him 22nd on the grid, with Lewis Hamilton on pole.
Delegate Says Lawson’s Car 30 Broke the MGU-K Rule
PlanetF1 published the FIA technical delegate’s statement. It says Car 30, Lawson, was in breach of the minimum MGU-K power requirement just after crossing the line on his fastest lap in Q2
. PlanetF1 puts the time at 15:47:36 and cites Articles C5.12.6 and C5.12.7. It reports that the FIA technical delegate was Jo Bauer. Q2 is the second qualifying segment.
The report said 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.
The lap in question put Lawson into the top 10 and Q3, according to the Daily Express.
The Race also reports that team-mate Arvid Lindblad lifted off just before the end of his laps in qualifying, while Lawson stayed flat out on the lap in question. It links the issue to a workaround used this year by Mercedes and Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
The MGU-K is the battery-powered motor that adds up to 350kW on top of the engine. When that boost ends, the rules require a gradual fade of no more than 50kW or 100kW each second, depending on the track. Motorsport reporting says Lawson’s car lost its electric deployment too suddenly when the Q2 lap ended.
Stewards Reject No-Advantage Defence
The stewards heard Racing Bulls representatives, Lawson, the Single Seater Sporting Director and FIA technical staff, including the technical delegate, Formula1 reported. Their decision said the evidence, 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,
so the required step-down in deployment was not achieved.
Liam Lawson has been disqualified from Qualifying in Mexico City after a technical breach ❌FULL STORY 👉 https://t.co/u3PJOdRXAz#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/bihIP8uSYK
Racing Bulls argued the breach gave no performance advantage. The stewards answered that non-compliance is not excused when no advantage is gained, and that a car must comply at all times during an event.
They acknowledged that the team reported the breach itself.
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.
Stewards’ decision document
The sources do not say whether Racing Bulls will appeal, and none suggests the breach was deliberate.
Lawson’s 2027 Racing Bulls Seat Stays Unsettled
The weekend lands on an unresolved contract. Lawson is ninth in the drivers’ championship with 77 points, while teammate Lindblad is 11th on 38.
Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, second in F2, is pushing for a place. Lawson has said he does not make that decision. The sources report no decision on the 2027 seat, and Lawson’s Sunday now begins from the back of the grid.