Lawson disqualified from Mexico City qualifying

Liam Lawson was disqualified from qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix after stewards ruled that his Racing Bulls car breached Formula 1’s MGU-K power-deployment regulations. The decision sends him to the back of the starting grid, rather than the ninth place he had been due to occupy after an earlier penalty. The technical issue arose just after Lawson crossed the line at the end of his fastest lap in the second qualifying segment, Q2. The FIA technical delegate reported that the driver’s maximum power demand and the electrical DC power of the car’s energy recovery system were reduced faster than the regulations permit. In their decision, the stewards said the evidence showed Lawson did not immediately lift off the power after crossing the control line. As a result, the required rate of reduction in MGU-K deployment was not achieved. The regulations require the car to comply with the technical rules throughout the event. Racing Bulls told the stewards that the breach did not provide a performance advantage. The stewards said that this did not excuse noncompliance and that precedents required disqualification. They also noted that the team had disclosed the breach itself,...