Max Verstappen issues 'all fine' Liam Lawson stance after heated incident

Max Verstappen appears to have made peace with Liam Lawson following their clash during second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, declaring that "it's all fine between us".

Verstappen and Lawson came together in rather awkward fashion during Friday's second practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. 

The incident, which occurred through Turns 12 to 14, was heavily criticised by Verstappen, but the stewards' verdict was clear enough: both drivers were handed a one-place grid penalty and a superlicence penalty point for the contact.

The stewards' report was critical of the moves from both drivers on their preparation laps, and noted that the escalation from a simple reprimand to a grid penalty came after teams had already been given a clear warning earlier on Friday during the team managers' briefing. 

According to the stewards, a recurring pattern of similar incidents in practice sessions throughout the season justified the stricter approach, with the penalty also said to be in line with precedents set in previous years when cars made physical contact during practice.

After qualifying, Verstappen indicated the matter is now behind him. Speaking to Dutch media, including RacingNews365, the Red Bull driver confirmed that the air has been cleared between the pair.

"It's all fine between us," Verstappen said.

Max Verstappen at peace with Mexico City grid penalty

The one-place grid penalty has cost Verstappen, who had qualified in fourth but drops to the front of the third row of the grid in fifth.

Grid penalties being awarded in practice is unusual and when asked for his view on the grid drop, the four-time champion responded with a shrug.

"If you look at other sports, and you sometimes see decisions being made, you can agree with them or not," added Verstappen. 

"I've got my own opinion about it, in any case. On the other hand, I've already said everything I want to say about it."

Asked whether he found it strange that grid penalties were being handed out in practice, he replied: "It's happened before in the past, with other things too. 

"There's nothing you can do about that. If the stewards think it's a punishable offence, then it's a punishable offence. You might not agree with it, but that's just how it is."