Max Verstappen starts fifth after grid penalty and qualifying lock-up

Verstappen’s grid penalty and qualifying issues

Max Verstappen starts fifth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after a qualifying run ended with a lock-up at Turn 13. Lando Norris slightly obstructed his final run in the final sector and ruined his chance to secure a place on the second row of the grid. Verstappen qualified fourth, but a one-place grid penalty from a collision with Liam Lawson during Friday’s second practice session drops him to the third row. The stewards handed both Verstappen and Lawson a one-place grid penalty and a superlicence penalty point after their contact between Turns 12 and 14 during the second practice session on Friday. The stewards noted that teams received a clear warning during the team managers’ briefing earlier on Friday and cited a recurring pattern of similar incidents throughout the season to justify the strict penalty for both drivers. Verstappen told Dutch media that "it’s all fine between us" regarding Lawson. He responded to questions about the unusual grid penalty with a shrug, stating that if the stewards think it’s a punishable offence, then it is a punishable offence. The strong slipstream on the run towards the first corner at this track often makes starting from the second row an advantage, and this makes his fifth-place start a disadvantage.

Red Bull struggles with start reliability

Red Bull drivers struggle with race starts throughout the 2026 season. Max Verstappen, the 29-year-old four-time world champion, expressed frustration over poor getaways during practice and told the team radio, "I think I could sprint faster off the line. Like, I do the start at the end of the pit lane, disaster. I do another start, another disaster." He asked, "Why are we not just changing something?" and joked to Dutch media, "Maybe we should really do that. I think it would be just as quick!" regarding a Le Mans-style running start. Verstappen previously lost a place to Charles Leclerc on Lap 1 of the US Grand Prix because of a slow getaway. Team principal Laurent Mekies said Red Bull cannot fully resolve the start issues this year because hardware changes, including work on the clutch, can only arrive in 2027. He expects the team to make progress with current hardware as he noted improvements since the season opener in Melbourne. Verstappen said his performance off the line depends on team procedures rather than his own actions. He also told reporters there is nothing new the team is working on and that the situation will not magically change between weekends. Isack Hadjar also expects a difficult start after receiving limited running in FP1. Hadjar said, "I hope it will be better, but we tried very hard this weekend."

Practice results and comparisons

Verstappen finished fifth fastest in FP2 despite damage to his RB22 bargeboard from the Lawson collision. His performance during the Free Practice long runs was encouraging, and he remained within 0.048 seconds of George Russell on average during sessions on the same compound. Russell recorded an average lap time of 1:21.442, while Lando Norris recorded a 1:21.319 average. The Dutchman’s average was less than two tenths behind the fastest driver in this sample. Verstappen also noted that he had the pace to take pole position before the lock-up occurred. The team follows specific procedures to improve the start, but results in Austin were not as desired for both Verstappen and Hadjar. The driver’s RB22 sustained damage to its bargeboard after the collision with Lawson in Friday’s second practice session.