Stewards summon McLaren and Red Bull after FP1 as Lindblad accused of impeding O’Ward
Rookie Friday in Mexico City came with a sting in the tail. Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad has been cited for allegedly impeding McLaren’s Pato O’Ward at Turn 11 during first practice, with both teams summoned to see the stewards.
The hearing is set for 14:00 local time, with Lindblad and O’Ward — who were standing in for Max Verstappen and Lando Norris respectively — expected to attend alongside team representatives.
It capped a busy FP1 that featured nine rookies cycling through the field, a familiar late-season traffic jam of learning laps, tyre warm-up, and drivers trying not to trip over each other. The stewards’ note flagged an “alleged impeding” by Lindblad on O’Ward at the tight left-hander, one of the session’s pinch points.
For clarity, any outcome won’t touch Verstappen or Norris. These were Friday miles only, and whatever the verdict, the regular race drivers keep their slates clean for Saturday and Sunday.
As for potential sanctions, the sporting guidelines are straightforward: impeding in free practice usually draws a warning. If the stewards consider the move dangerous or done with “apparent intent,” it can escalate to a five-place grid penalty — but again, that wouldn’t carry across to Verstappen or Norris, who weren’t in the cars at the time.
Lindblad, getting his latest taste of top-flight running in the Red Bull, and O’Ward, a massive fan favorite on this side of the border in McLaren colors, were among a large cohort of young drivers ticking off mandatory rookie outings. That many new faces on a short window almost guarantees moments like this — the margins are fine, the mirrors are busy, and the clock is always against them.
We’ll get the full read once the stewards publish their decision post-hearing. Until then, chalk it up as part of an FP1 that asked the usual Friday questions and delivered the usual Friday friction. More as it happens.
