McLaren appeal against Gasly penalty reversal in Monaco GP
McLaren have lodged an appeal after Pierre Gasly's pit-lane speeding penalty was overturned, arguing it undermines sporting fairness and regulatory consistency.
Appeal over penalty reversal
McLaren have formally contested the FIA's decision to reinstate Pierre Gasly to third place in the Monaco Grand Prix after his pit-lane speeding penalty was overturned. Alpine previously won a right of review, and the Frenchman was restored to third, having originally been demoted to seventh.
The FIA acknowledged that the pit-lane speed limit at Monaco had been miscalculated. In a statement, McLaren highlighted concerns about sporting fairness, regulatory consistency, and competition integrity.
"This case raises important questions concerning sporting fairness, regulatory consistency and the integrity of competition. Throughout the Monaco Grand Prix weekend – and in every event – all teams operated according to the regulations and established standard practices for what concerns the speed limit in the pit lane as they were applied at the time. Competitors adjusted their procedures accordingly and, where required, accepted and served penalties imposed under those regulations. In our view, the subsequent removal of penalties creates a situation in which some competitors are disadvantaged by having acted in accordance with the rules and the Stewards' decisions. Such an outcome risks creating sporting inequity and undermining confidence in the consistent application of the FIA sporting regulations," the statement read.
Impact on other drivers
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was among four drivers who received pit-lane speeding penalties and lost positions. Following Gasly's penalty removal, the Australian dropped from fourth to fifth.
Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto also received pit-lane speeding penalties, alongside Gasly and Piastri. Nearly all violations were for 0.1 km/h over the limit, while one of Gasly's was for 0.4 km/h.
Ferrari managed to avoid consequences for Hamilton as his penalty was served during a safety-car period. Piastri lost at least one place to Gasly when serving his penalty, while Colapinto was already out of the points.
Stewards' findings and Red Bull's response
The stewards' verdict in Alpine's right-of-review case acknowledged that the pit lane had been measured as 77 metres longer than it was possible to drive. Since the limit is calculated by the time taken to travel a certain distance, drivers were incorrectly deemed to be speeding when in fact none had exceeded the 60 km/h limit.
The report also noted that after the third penalty was issued during the race, stewards asked officials whether something unusual was happening and were told nothing was, despite teams having raised the issue with the FIA during the weekend. Their concerns were ignored, and the conversations were apparently not relayed to the stewards or timekeepers.
The decision to expunge Gasly's penalty dropped Red Bull's Isack Hadjar from the podium and Piastri from fourth to fifth. Red Bull have not yet handed the third-place trophy to Gasly while considering whether to appeal the penalty reversal.
