McLaren, Red Bull appeal Gasly Monaco podium

McLaren and Red Bull are awaiting an FIA International Court of Appeal hearing after challenging the stewards’ decision to rescind Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix double five-second pitlane-speeding penalty and restore him from seventh to third.

The dispute has grown beyond Monaco’s finishing order because both teams believe the stewards’ fix for a timing-loop error created a sporting-fairness problem. At Monaco, multiple drivers including Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were penalized for exceeding the pitlane speed limit, only for it to emerge later that the infringements were false flags caused by a timing loop error at the start of the circuit’s pit entry.

All of those drivers except Gasly had already served their penalties during the race. Gasly instead received a double five-second penalty at the flag, which dropped him from third to seventh. Alpine then sought a Right of Review and, during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, the stewards removed both penalties and reinstated Gasly to the podium.

That reversal cost Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar the podium place he had inherited and also pushed Piastri back after the McLaren driver had already paid the price for his own erroneous penalty on track. McLaren formally appealed documents 99, 100 and 101 from Monaco, covering the stewards’ decision, the revised classification and the championship standings, while Red Bull also lodged an appeal against the amended result.

In a team statement issued on Tuesday 16 June, McLaren said: “While we fully respect the FIA’s judicial processes and the role of the stewards, we believe this case raises important questions concerning sporting fairness, regulatory consistency and the integrity of competition.” The team added that removing the penalties left some competitors disadvantaged for having followed the rulings during the race, calling it an outcome that “risks creating sporting inequity and undermining confidence in the consistent application of the FIA Sporting Regulations.”

The case is separate from Mercedes’ own Monaco review attempt. Mercedes had sought a Right of Review over George Russell’s penalty after he finished outside the points, but withdrew after discussions with the FIA and Formula 1. In a team statement on Thursday night, Mercedes said: “Our subsequent collaborative discussion with FIA and Formula 1 has shown their determination to review the unique circumstances arising from the Monaco Grand Prix and to proactively address the factors that caused them.” It added: “In the face of this clear determination, we have concluded that further pursuit of our Right of Review application will not serve our team or the sport and thus we have withdrawn our submission.”

McLaren’s and Red Bull’s challenge now moves to the International Court of Appeal in Geneva, the FIA’s final independent appeal body. After written submissions from the teams and the FIA, a hearing is expected in July. The court can confirm, alter or waive the Monaco penalties, with the bigger significance reaching beyond Gasly’s result to a precedent that teams fear could encourage drivers to seek post-race legal remedies instead of serving penalties during races.