Overview
- Race officials disqualified Liam Lawson after evidence showed he did not lift off immediately after the timing line on his fastest Q2 lap, causing the MGU‑K electrical power to reduce faster than allowed.
- The breach was judged to violate Articles C5.12.6 and C5.12.7 of the F1 technical rules, which set strict limits on how quickly MGU‑K power can be stepped down.
- Visa Cash App Racing Bulls self‑reported the issue and argued there was no sporting gain, but the stewards cited precedent and rejected that defense before imposing disqualification.
- The decision erases Lawson’s Q3 starting spot and means he must ask the stewards to start from the back, with a pit‑lane start possible if the team makes parc fermé changes.
- The ruling slightly helps Alpine’s fight for fifth in the constructors’ standings while Racing Bulls still holds a roughly 33‑point cushion, and it compounds an already difficult weekend for Lawson after a prior one‑place grid penalty and licence point from a practice collision with Max Verstappen.