Mexico F1 recap: Liam Lawson forced to settle for 16th in dramatic finish
Live updates of the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix as Liam Lawson lines up in the grid for his second race of the season.
Full report
Pinned Cameron McMillan
'Stuck the whole race' says Lawson
Pinned Cameron McMillan
"[I was] stuck the whole race. The pace in clear air was ok. But I f**cking spent the whole race on the gearbox of a car,” reports Liam after crossing the line. No mention of the times he made contact with other cars
Next up
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Onto Brazil for another Monday morning race for Kiwi fans. Liam Lawson will have a quick turnaround to keep out of trouble and get back in the points. There is also a sprint race on the Sunday at Interlagos.
Season standings
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Max Verstappen 362
Lando Norris 315
Charles Leclerc 291
Oscar Piastri 251
Carlos Sainz Jr. 240
'Good job'
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“You did a good job, we have a few things to tidy up, but nothing major. You did a very good race” Hamelin issues a report card on Lawson’s second race of 2024.
“Sorry for the result guys, I know it's not obviously what we wanted,” says Lawson. Hamelin still says it’s a good race, that “didn’t work out on the last stint, with the traffic. But you should be happy with yourself.“
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Lawson finishes 16th
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Lawson loses his fastest lap on the final lap as Leclerc gets it.
Carlos Sainz wins
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A win for Ferrari from pole. He gave up the lead early to Verstappen but took it back to give Ferrari a win in Mexico.
Running order
1 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
2 Lando Norris - McLaren
3 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
4 George Russell - Mercedes
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
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Perez now pits for new tyres so he can get fastest lap as well. That means Lawson moves ahead of him.
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Leclerc pits so he can have a go at fastest lap to get an extra point.
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Liam Lawson sets the fastest lap at least
Perez calls Lawson an “idiot” again
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Points are now impossible for Lawson, but by making contact with Red Bull stablemate Sergio Perez, then destroying his wing in a collision with Franco Collapinto, Lawson is guaranteed headlines after this race.
Perez calls Lawson an “idiot” on the radio for good measure. Fernando Alonso, who retired early in the race, is likely to have an opinion...
Bad luck for Lawson
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He's now at the back on the field in 17th. Bummer. Race control will look at the incident but that won't do Lawson any favours.
Lawson into the pits
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He damaged the front wing and needs a fix.
Lawson’s front wing is broken! Part of it has just fallen off. “I need to box!” cries Lawson. “I honestly had nowhere to go.”
“Front wing change,” Lawson is told. After slick work by the RB team he’s on his way, but he’s fallen to 16th, behind Perez...
Lawson back to 13th
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Lawson makes contact with Colapinto as the Argentine barges past at Turn 1. Lawson drops to 13th.
Title watch
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Lando Norris is set to carve away a large chunk of his points deficit to his pal Max Verstappen, which has been helped by a big mistake by Charles Leclerc at the final corner.
Running order
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1 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
2 Lando Norris - McLaren
3 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
4 George Russell - Mercedes
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
6 Max Verstappen - Red Bull
7 Kevin Magnussen - Haas
8 Oscar Piastri - McLaren
9 Nico Hulkenberg - Haas
10 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
12 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
Lando Norris moves into second
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Charles Leclerc goes off and almost crashes as Lando Norris moves into second. Here comes the McLaren.
Drink and drive
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“Remember to drink, ten more laps.” Lawson is reminded to hydrate, as the Mexican Grand Prix enters its final phase. Lawson will need a stiff drink after the race if he can’t get past Stroll...
Lawson battling for 12th
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Colapinto right on Lawson’s tail now. Lawson’s engineer is encouraging him to get close to Stroll to take advantage of his own DRS, for defence.
Blue flag?
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Drivers who are being lapped are shown the blue flag (which is actually a bright blue light at most tracks) warning them to let the faster car behind past. If the slower driver ignores the blues for too long, they’re penalised.
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Charles Leclerc laps Liam in the stadium section.
“Norris 1.3 seconds behind, but Colapinto behind him.” Lawson is warned that Franco Colapinto may try to mug him as he lets Norris, who is one lap up, go past. “Blue flag for Norris, we need to let him by [before] Turn 4.”
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Lawson's chase of Stroll hurt by having to give way to the leaders.
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The only time Daniel Ricciardo (remember him?) scored points in the 2023 season was at the Mexican Grand Prix, where he finished seventh, driving an RB.
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Lawson more than nine seconds back from the points.
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“OK Liam, everyone will get the same blue flags,” Lawson is told. Losing as little time as possible while being lapped is also a key skill in a midfield driver’s armory, and Lawson is handling the faster cars like a veteran.
Lawson 12th, eyes on 11th
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Liam Lawson is about to be lapped by race leader Carlos Sainz. “Blue flag for Sainz,” Lawson is warned by Hamelin.
Ferrari looking for a 1-2
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With so much action in the pack it’s easy to forget that we have a Ferrari one-two for the second time in two weeks.
Lawson moves into 13th
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Franco Colapinto finally pits and Lawson moves into 14th. And then he passes Esteban Ocon for another spot.
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F1TV shows a helicopter shot with rain showers in the distance. “Chance of showers increasing a bit,” says a team’s rain radar.
Lawson about to enter DRS range as he chases down Lance Stroll.
Running order
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1 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
2 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
3 Lando Norris - McLaren
4 George Russell - Mercedes
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
6 Max Verstappen - Red Bull
7 Kevin Magnussen - Haas
8 Nico Hulkenberg - Haas
9 Franco Colapinto - Williams
10 Oscar Piastri - McLaren
15 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
'Next up is Stroll'
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Lawson takes Zhou for 15th position. “Next up is Stroll,” enthuses Lawson’s engineer, Pierre Hamelin.
Lawson now 15th
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Zhou Guanyu pits so Lawson gains another spot.
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Next up for Lawson is Zhou Guanyu then Lance Stroll. 10th place and the points looks quite far away at the moment. He was up there with Piastri before the pit stop, and the Aussie is 12th at the moment.
Lawson v Perez again
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“Mate, he’s blocking me on purpose!” Lawson slams Perez’s driving tactics, in round two of their Mexican Grand Prix bust up. More trouble on track for the Red Bull family.
Lawson eventually moves by into 16th.
Rain coming?
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Lawson pits! “Fighting Stroll pit exit,” Lawson told. Lawson emerges behind the Aston Martin. “Let’s go get some overtakes now,” says Hamelin.
Drivers are now saying it’s getting dark. Rain from here would be a disaster for Lawson. He’s just pitted and is now at the back of the grid.
Rain would mean he’ll have to pit again to change to wet tyres, and effectively wipe out all the work he’s done in going so long on his first stint.
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Lawson rejoins in 17th, or last place, and has Perez in front of him.
Lawson pits
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So his time in the top eight ends for now.
'Head down' - Lawson passed into eighth
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Verstappen breezes by under DRS at the end of the pit straight. “Keep the pace up, head down,” Lawson is told. Let’s hope Lawson doesn’t take Hamelin’s advice literally.
Verstappen v Lawson
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“Max [Verstappen] is 1.8 behind, he’s just got by Colapinto,” Lawson is warned. Will Lawson get his elbows out with the lead Red Bull driver? Unlikely.
Great drive by Piastri so far
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We’re focused on Lawson, but this is a seriously special drive from Piastri. He’s made his medium tyres last incredibly long. However, if he pits for the hards to finish the race, Lawson will have the potential to finish on the faster compound.
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“OK, Colapinto three seconds behind, let’s get back in the rhythm,” Lawson is told by Hamelin. Losing the least time while being overtaken by quicker cars will be crucial for the Kiwi’s result today.
When will Lawson pit
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Hard to medium one stopper - Laps 36-43 - so won't be too long.
Lawson goes from 5th to 7th
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Lawson loses two places on two corners as Piastri and then Hamilton move by.
Lawson back to fifth
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George Russell passes Lawson as the Kiwi moves back to fifth.
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Piastri is large in Lawson’s mirrors, with George Russell right behind. Let’s see if Lawson gets his elbows out this time...
Lawson now fourth
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All the leaders are heading in. Carlos Sainz gives up the lead.
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Verstappen will have to go to the end on these tyres from here if Red Bull are to salvage anything from McLaren and Norris in the battle for the world championship.
“Piastri 1.6 [behind]. Head down, we know our target,” Lawson is told.
Lawson is currently the top Red Bull car in this race, and they started with four. The perfect advertisement for 2025. Home hero Sergio Perez, in comfortably his worst F1 season , is down in 16th.
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The two Haas cars box as well so Lawson now up to fifth.
Lawson sixth
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Pierre Gasly pits and Lawson moves into the top six. And now Norris heads to pits as well. So the order will change a bit. Lawson is on the hards and will go longer than most.
Aussie v Kiwi
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Oscar Piastri just 1.5 behind Lawson.
'Head down' Lawson told
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“We should have four to five laps before Piastri reaches our DRS. Head down, clean laps.”
“I think the stewards are being a little bit kind to Lawson,” says Martin Brundle, who might want to wear a balaclava next time he’s wandering around on King Street, Pukekohe.
Running order
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1 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
2 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
3 Lando Norris - McLaren
4 George Russell - Mercedes
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
6 Kevin Magnussen - Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg - Haas
8 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
9 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
10 Oscar Piastri - McLaren
Max Verstappen pits
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In comes Max Verstappen. The first of the leaders to box. And he does his 20 second penalty. Where will he come out? He's now 15th.
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Gasly one tenth faster on lap 23, Lawson is told.
“Heads up, we have Piastri 5.5 behind, he just went past Stroll,” Lawson is told of a looming threat. “Copy,” replies Lawson.
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Oscar Piastri moves into 11th. He's more than six seconds back from Lawson though.
Lawson the best Red Bull?
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If Verstappen’s two separate 10-second penalties stand, as well as Perez’s five-second impairment, combined with Lawson’s strategy, there’s a fair chance the Kiwi will be the highest-place of the Red Bull cars come the final laps...
“[Gasly] is going backwards now, he’s struggling with tyres,” Lawson is told. He's 1.9 seconds behind the Frenchman, and closing.
20 second penalty now for Max Verstappen
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Just keeps adding up for the Red Bull team.
Perez pits
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So Lawson now has Lance Stroll behind him in 11th.
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Race control looking at the Lawson-Perez incident.
Lawson races away from Perez after that. Almost four seconds clear on the Red Bull.
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Martin Brundle: “If I was Lawson, I’d be wearing a balaclava when I leave this place tonight.”
Lawson called an 'idiot'
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Lawson holds off a fight from Perez twice he denies the Mexican. They get very close to colliding.
“Is he f**king serious?!?” Lawson is outraged by Perez’s defensive driving after the two make contact. “Check the floor,” says Lawson. That was way more than a sharp-elbowed fight for 10th...
“What the f*** is this idiot doing?!” Perez is heard saying about Lawson on his race audio.
Lawson v Perez
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They are fighting for the main Red Bull seat next year and are fighting on the track right now. Perez right behind the Kiwi but Lawson holding on.
Fernando Alonso retires
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Race number 400 for Alonso is one to forget as he retires from the race. He's the third car out.
Lawson told 'doing a great job'
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“Let’s make sure you keep those tyres alive, because Perez is coming. Perez has a five second penalty, we’ll get him in that end. You’re doing a great job.” Hamelin tells Lawson of the car looming behind him, the senior Red Bull car of beleaguered Mexican Sergio Perez.
10 second penalty
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Max Verstappen is handed a 10 second penalty for forcing Lando off the track.
"10! That's impressive" the F1 title leader says.
Running order
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1 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
2 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
3 Max Verstappen - Red Bull
4 Lando Norris - McLaren
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
6 George Russell - Mercedes
7 Kevin Magnussen - Haas
8 Nico Hulkenberg - Haas
9 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
10 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
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Lawson now 2.3 seconds back from Gasley but also 1.8 ahead of Perez. But Perez has a five second penalty for a false start.
'This guy is dangerous!'
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Lando Norris calls Verstappen 'dangerous'.
Lawson under pressure in 10th
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"Click to overtake if you need it,” Lawson is told. The overtake button is used to defend from attack, as well as make overtakes, as the name suggests.
Lawson under real threat from Lance Stroll here. Back-to-back DRS zones in sector one will be difficult for the Kiwi to defend in.
Norris v Verstappen again
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Now Norris and Verstappen go back at it. They both go off the track and Charles Leclerc moves by both of them into second
Sainz re-takes the lead
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The Ferrari driver overtakes Verstappen and is back in the lead. A great move there.
Seven laps down
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Max Verstappen holds the start well and he's away. Sainz looks to have more pace on him but can't get by on the restart. No change to the order on the restart.
1 Max Verstappen - Red Bull
2 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
3 Lando Norris - McLaren
4 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
6 George Russell - Mercedes
7 Kevin Magnussen - Haas
8 Nico Hulkenberg - Haas
9 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
10 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
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“It’s been always like this in Mexico, the last three years,” says Tsunoda of his turn one crash. “Nothing to say to be honest, the mechanics did a fantastic job to bring the car to the grid, and in this first turn I’m out.” Tsunoda apologises to the same mechanics.
Back racing
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Safety car goes and they're off again.
'Let’s work a little bit less on the brakes'
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“Recovery vehicle deployed, turn three-four,” Hamelin tells Lawson. “Still debris down at turn one,” reports Lawson. That’ll be RB debris, from Tsunoda’s wrecked car. Super slow motion replays show Tsunoda going backwards, a neat metaphor for his recent form...
“Let’s work a little bit less on the brakes,” Lawson is told. His brakes are too hot right now. Lawson and his engineer are using this safety car period to try and manage brake and tyre temperatures, and also maintain the level of battery charge, which is crucial if he wants to get the place back from Gasly.
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Alex Powell reports:
This early safety car is great news for the Kiwi. The other drivers' advantage on the quicker medium tyre will be negated and leave Lawson potentially quicker when the race resumes under green flags.
Where Lawson sits
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Lawson in 10th with Pierre Gasly in front of him and Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso behind.
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They're still clearing the track as the cars go around for a fourth lap under yellow.
'My bad' - Lawson
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"Sorry I lost a spot to Gasly there, my bad.” Lawson apologises, after spending most of the first lap duelling with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, but the Frenchman gets ahead, before the safety car is called for Tsunoda’s latest disaster.
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So Max Verstappen moves into the front. Lawson already in 10th.
Racing order
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1 Max Verstappen - Red Bull
2 Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
3 Lando Norris - McLaren
4 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
5 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
6 George Russell - Mercedes
7 Kevin Magnussen - Haas
8 Nico Hulkenberg - Haas
9 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
10 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
They're away
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An RB is out! It appears to be Yuki Tsunoda. Yellow flag and the safety car is out.
Saw the Racing Bull spinning and thought 'could it be Lawson?'. But it's his teammate. Tsunoda collects Alex Albon and both are out.
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Alex Powell reports:
Lawson starting on the hards could leave him vulnerable to cars behind him on the mediums early in the race. Managing the DRS zones from lap three onwards will be key if he's going to have anywhere near the success he did a week ago.
However, the longer he can go in his first stint, the stronger he'll be towards the end of the race.
Almost go
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Formation lap underway as they are about to line up on the grid for the start. Should be a great start. Plenty of room to move up and down the field before turn one.
What hard choice means for Lawson
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Alex Powell:
That will mean a similar strategy to what we saw last week. Can the Kiwi manage this race as well as he did last week?
Lawson going longer on the hard tyres
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Andrew Potter reports:
Helmut Marko reaches into the RB’s cockpit to shake hands with Lawson, wishing him good luck. Marko has an outsized say in the future of Lawson’s career, and countless other young Red Bull drivers.
“All the cars ahead of you are on medium tyres,” Liam is told by his engineer Pierre Hamelin, who adds the two Aston Martins behind are also on mediums. Lawson is the first driver on hard tyres.
What would make a great day for Lawson
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Points
Plain and simple, nothing will prove to Red Bull that Lawson is their guy more than putting up points in their constructors championship battle. RB (36 points) are seventh in the standings, two back from Haas (38). There are millions of dollars at stake for every position available.
Beat the other Red Bull cars
If Lawson wants to be a Red Bull driver in 2025, it will have to come at Perez's expense. The hometown hero has already done his bit to give Lawson the advantage, with a horrendous display in qualifying yesterday. He's already shown he can beat Tsunoda consistently, even if his teammate has been faster all weekend.
Stay out of trouble
Lawson has done well so far to not get caught up in any major incidents. Staying on track and finishing the race seems quite simple, but wait and see how many drivers today fail to do so.
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Liam Lawson is currently being tightly buckled into his RB by a team mechanic.
“Radio check,” says Liam Lawson in his first words broadcast from the driver’s seat of the RB today.
Liam Lawson optimistic
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Andrew Potter reports:
Liam Lawson tells F1TV that the RB car was strong last year here in Mexico, and strong in Saturday qualifying, so he’s optimistic he can move forward in the race.
Christian Horner meanwhile tells F1TV that Sergio Perez’s goal for today is to beat Oscar Piastri.
Liam Lawson will start Formula One’s Mexican Grand Prix in 12th place, and more significantly qualified ahead of Red Bull rival – and hometown hero – Sergio Perez.
After making it into the second qualifying session, Lawson’s RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda crashed and triggered a red flag with just over a minute to go, which prematurely ended the session before the Kiwi could complete his flying lap.
That left Lawson unable to improve on his best lap time, and saw him finish the session just 0.033s behind Tsunoda, who will start in 11th position – unless the damage sustained in his crash forces him to start from pit lane.
Red Bull stablemate and World Championship leader Max Verstappen will start in second place, as title rival Lando Norris managed third. Fresh from a 1-2 finish at last week’s US Grand Prix in Austin, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took pole position, while Charles Leclerc backs up his win by starting in fourth.
However, both RB cars advancing to the second qualifying session ahead of Perez is significant for Red Bull’s driver line-up.
Despite being in a superior car, with Red Bull having scored 508 more points than subsidiary Racing Bulls in 2024, Perez was the only driver across the two teams to not advance out of the first qualifying session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in Mexico City.
And in familiar territory in his home race, Perez was unable to put a lap together that challenged the top 15, condemning the 34-year-old to the humiliation of an early exit in front of grandstands packed with Red Bull supporters.
Entering the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, Perez is a huge 204 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship has been reeled in by McLaren, who hold a 40-point advantage at the top.
Despite Perez re-signing with Red Bull earlier this year on a contract for 2025 with a further option for 2026, the Mexican is by no means safe, especially if he proves to be the difference to McLaren at the top of the Constructors’ standings.
It is widely understood Lawson’s initial confirmation of six races in 2024 is an audition to succeed Perez in the Red Bull car next year; otherwise he will stay with RB to gain experience to do so once a seat in the senior team becomes available.
While Perez finished seventh to Lawson’s ninth in Texas, he did so in a car that has scored 508 more points than the RB over the course of the season.
It is also understood that despite scoring the majority of RB’s points over this season, Tsunoda is unlikely to be promoted up into Red Bull’s senior ranks. However, the Japanese driver has been afforded an end-of-season test drive with Red Bull after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Tsunoda’s place in the team is widely tied into his links to Honda, Red Bull’s engine supplier across its two teams.
However, Honda will leave Red Bull after 2025 to join Aston Martin, and could see Tsunoda follow if a seat opens up in the team – bankrolled by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll.