Verstappen and Lawson get grid drops after Mexico practice clash

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson received one-place grid drops after they collided on track in Friday's Mexico City Grand ​Prix second practice session.

Both drivers were also given a penalty point each ‌after the two cars hit each other side on.

Stewards heard from both after the session, with the drivers agreeing what had happened was unnecessary and clumsy.

The stewards said in a statement they decided ​to escalate the penalty from the usual formal warning to a grid position ​drop because they had warned team managers earlier in the light ⁠of similar incidents this year between drivers in practice.

The pair — both contracted to Red ​Bull, which owns the two teams — went wheel to wheel 13 minutes into the session, ​with four-time world champion Verstappen diving down the inside of Lawson at Turn 12. The New Zealander held his ground through Turn 13 before they made contact.

The contact scattered debris across the track, ​with the session halted for it to be cleared.

Lawson and Verstappen were teammates at ​Red Bull this year while Isack Hadjar was injured and also briefly for two races at the ‌start ⁠of last season.

"Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there," Verstappen told reporters before seeing the stewards. "At the end of the day, it is not going to change my weekend, but if I were him, I would act a little ​smarter, and when you're ​fighting for your ⁠seat, it's not very smart behaviour.

"That's not very sensible behaviour from someone in his position, to pick a fight with me."

Lawson, who ​has yet to be confirmed by Racing Bulls for next ​season, said ⁠over the team radio, "He literally just drove into me."