Pierre Gasly has lost his Monaco Grand Prix podium after the FIA International Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the appeals from McLaren and Red Bull.
Gasly was third at the finish of the Monaco Grand Prix on June 7, but was penalized for speeding in the pit lane and fell to seventh place. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was then promoted to third place and looked like he had his first podium in Formula 1.
But it was Alpine who successfully challenged Gasly’s penalties and the result was reversed.
Why Were Gasly’s Monaco GP Penalties Overturned?
Alpine appealed the two penalties through the FIA’s Right of Review process, claiming there was a mistake in the timing and measurement system used to determine Gasly’s pit-lane speed.
The team provided new evidence showing that Gasly had not exceeded the 60 km/h pit-lane speed limit. The FIA admitted there was a measurement issue with the length of the section of the pit lane used, which caused a 77cm difference in the calculation.
(Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images)
The stewards canceled both five-second penalties as a result on June 12. Gasly was returned to third place and Hadjar was demoted to fourth.
The move sparked immediate controversy as other riders, such as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, had received similar penalties at the Monaco race but not been given the chance to make up for the lost time. McLaren said the situation set an “unfair precedent.
Why Did McLaren and Red Bull Appeal?
On June 16, McLaren and Red Bull formally appealed the decision.
The importance of the situation for Red Bull was even greater since Hadjar was originally in third place after Gasly’s penalties. Meanwhile, McLaren was worried about the wider sporting implications as Piastri had received a similar punishment in the race.
The International Court of Appeal of the FIA was held in Paris on August 25.
The court has now overturned the earlier decision that canceled Gasly’s penalties. This will keep the original sanctions in place, with Gasly returning to seventh and Hadjar to third.
The final ruling also means Hadjar officially gets back the Monaco podium that he briefly lost, while Gasly’s reinstated third-place finish has been removed from the record.