Lawson starts Mexico GP from the pit lane, Bottas drops 50 places
Liam Lawson will start the Mexico City Grand Prix from the pit lane after Racing Bulls changed engine components and set-up following his qualifying disqualification, while Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas carries a 50-place grid penalty for new power unit parts.
Two cars at the back
The grid for Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix has taken its final shape, and it looks very different from the order that came out of qualifying. Lewis Hamilton keeps pole position for Ferrari, 0.009 seconds ahead of George Russell, according to PlanetF1. Behind the front rows, two drivers have been sent to the very back: Liam Lawson from the pit lane and Valtteri Bottas through a heavy engine penalty.
Lawson: from eighth to the pit lane
Lawson had set the eighth-fastest time in qualifying, but the stewards disqualified him because his car breached the minimum MGU-K power requirement just after the line on his fastest Q2 lap. Before that ruling he had been due to start ninth, after a one-place penalty for his second-practice clash with Max Verstappen.
Racing Bulls then went to work on the car. The Race reports "engine component and set-up changes", which forces a pit lane start. Crash.net adds that the team fitted new engine components and changed the suspension set-up. RacingNews365 lists a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger, exhaust set and ancillary component, and says these exceed the number allowed for the season. The sources differ in detail, but agree on the outcome: Lawson leaves the pit lane after the rest of the field has gone.
Bottas: a 50-place drop
Cadillac changed a large part of Bottas's power unit. Crash.net names the combustion engine, turbocharger, energy store, control electronics and MGU-K. The resulting penalty is 50 places, which makes the position on the grid a formality. Bottas qualified 22nd; The Race lists him to start 21st, because Lawson's disqualification moved him up one place on the grid sheet.
Verstappen and the rest
Verstappen received a one-place penalty for the same practice clash with Lawson and lines up fifth instead of fourth. Everybody behind Lawson's original slot moves up one place.
By the numbers
In our OpenF1 data, Lawson is ninth in the drivers' standings with 65 points, ahead of team-mate Arvid Lindblad on 38. Bottas has no points in 2026 and sits 22nd; his team-mate Sergio Perez is also on zero. Cadillac has yet to score in its debut season.
What comes next
The race starts at 20:00 UTC (21:00 in Vienna). For Lawson, whose future at Racing Bulls is the subject of speculation, the pit lane start means any points will have to come through strategy and attrition.
Sources
Topics: Liam Lawson, Valtteri Bottas, Racing Bulls, Cadillac
