Mercedes Requests Review of Monaco Grand Prix Penalty Decisions
Mercedes has formally requested the FIA, the sport's governing body, to grant a right of review concerning the decision to overturn Pierre Gasly's penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix.
During the race, Gasly was initially demoted to seventh place after receiving two five-second penalties for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit. However, on Friday, following a successful appeal by his Alpine team, it was announced that Gasly would be reinstated to third place.
The stewards' investigation uncovered an error in the measurement of the pit-lane speed limit, which affected five drivers who had also been penalised. Among those impacted was Mercedes driver George Russell, who was originally third but was relegated to 12th place after being handed a drive-through penalty for improperly serving his pit-lane speeding penalty.
This penalty cost Russell 15 points in his championship battle against his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who ultimately won the race.
The right of review hearing requested by Alpine established that the cars were legally allowed to travel a shorter distance in the pit lane than the officials had used in their calculations. Since the speed limit is measured by the time taken to cover a specific distance, the previous method incorrectly identified drivers as speeding when none had actually exceeded the 60 km/h limit.
Earlier in the weekend, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that the team had consulted legal experts regarding the situation. On Sunday, Wolff confirmed that Mercedes was seeking the right of review to ensure the team has representation during decision-making processes.
"I'm not sure this is going to hold with the judges but we have to do it for George's benefit," Wolff told Sky Sports.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who also received a penalty related to the pit-lane speed limit, expressed surprise at the reversal of Gasly's penalty without similar reconsideration for other drivers.
"I was mind-blown that Gasly's penalty had been reversed and not the other drivers," Piastri said.
- Hamilton's first Ferrari win a statement to himself and rest of F1
- Hamilton says Barcelona win beyond wildest dreams
- Hamilton wins first grand prix for Ferrari
- Perfect 10 for Hamilton and Norris keeps fighting - driver ratings
- Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questions
- Barcelona GP Review: Hamilton Wins for Ferrari
