The stewards of the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix have issued official warnings to Arvid Limblad and Red Bull Racing for what was described as “potentially dangerous interference” during Free Practice 1 (FP1) at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Limblad, who was driving in place of Max Verstappen under the rookie participation rule, was involved in an incident approximately 13 minutes into the session. During slow running at Turn 9, he was found to have impeded Patricio O’Ward (McLaren), who was on a fast lap at the time.
O’Ward was forced to take evasive action to avoid contact, though no collision occurred.
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Confusion Caused by GPS Data Failure
According to reports from both teams, the interference was triggered by a temporary failure in the shared GPS data system, which affected all teams in the early stages of FP1.
Red Bull initially informed Limblad over team radio that O’Ward was approaching from behind, but later communication mistakenly indicated that O’Ward had slowed down. Acting on that incorrect information, Limblad stayed on his line through Turn 9, unintentionally blocking the McLaren.
Red Bull presented this explanation to the stewards, and McLaren accepted the clarification, acknowledging that the GPS issue had contributed to the confusion. However, both teams agreed that Limblad still had an opportunity to take a safer line to allow O’Ward to pass cleanly.
Stewards’ Decision
After reviewing video and telemetry evidence, the four-member panel of stewards, which included Pedro Lamy, determined that Limblad’s actions amounted to “unnecessary interference that created a potentially dangerous situation.”
“While the GPS data failure was an extenuating circumstance, the driver still had the opportunity to take a more cautious approach,” the stewards’ statement read.
As a result, both Arvid Limblad and Red Bull Racing received official warnings for the incident. No further penalties were applied.
The ruling serves as a reminder of how critical GPS data is in modern Formula 1 operations, especially during traffic-heavy practice sessions.
