New Zealand driver Liam Lawson's tumultuous Mexican Grand Prix campaign has taken another savage turn, with his disqualification from qualifying.

Lawson finished eighth fastest in qualifying today for tomorrow's grand prix, but a penalty imposed because of his clash with Red Bulls driver Max Verstappen on Saturday pushed him back to ninth place on the grid tomorrow.

But after qualifying, Jo Bauer, the Formula 1 technical delegate for governing body FIA, said Lawson's Racing Bulls car was "in breach of the minimum MGU-K power requirement" during qualifying.

"I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration."

Stewards then convened and after a hearing decided to disqualify Lawson from qualifying, meaning he will start at the back of the grid in tomorrow's grand prix.

Lawson was involved in the hearing.

The stewards said that evidence submitted, which was accepted by all parties present, showed that after the control line at the end of Lawson's fastest lap in Q2, the driver did not lift off the power "immediately".

"This resulted in the rate of reduction of MGU-K deployment required to achieve the regulated 'step down' not being achieved.

"The team argued that this did not provide any performance advantage, however it is clear that non-compliance with the technical regulations is not excused if no performance advantage is gained," the stewards said in their decision published on the Formula 1 website.

"Further, these regulations require that a car must comply with them at all times during an event.

"The stewards note in particular that the team self-disclosed the breach, however there are a multitude of precedents that require us, despite all mitigating circumstances, to impose a penalty of disqualification where a car does not comply with the technical regulations."

Lawson's teammate Arvin Lindblad will start from eighth place tomorrow.

Lewis Hamilton claimed the pole - for the 105th time in his career but his first for more than three years - but it was very close, with George Russell just missing by 0.009 of a second.

Charles Leclerc qualified third, with Verstappen fourth, though he drops a place on the grid, having incurred the same penalty as Lawson.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was fifth fastest. but moves up to fourth because of Verstappen's penalty.

Antonelli will become Formula 1's youngest champion if he finishes ninth or better in the grand prix, which starts at 9am tomorrow.