The Formula 1 world witnessed a dramatic turn of events this week as Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium was reinstated following a successful Right of Review request by Alpine. The French driver’s initial fourth-place finish was demoted to seventh due to two five-second time penalties for speeding in the pit lane, leaving him devastated. However, Alpine’s persistent efforts have now righted what they believed was an injustice.
The Enstone-based team presented new, significant evidence that challenged the initial penalty decision. After a thorough review, the FIA agreed that the evidence constituted a significant and relevant new elementleading to the rescinding of Gasly’s penalties. This decision not only restored Gasly’s third-place finish but also reshuffled the race’s final standings, affecting several other drivers.
Alpine’s successful Right of Review
Alpine’s Right of Review request was accepted following the Monaco Grand Prix, with the initial hearing taking place on Thursday during the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend. The team’s representatives presented compelling evidence that demonstrated an incorrect distance calculation in the pit lane, which had led to the inaccurate assessment of Gasly’s speed.
The stewards’ verdict acknowledged that there was a significant delta between the distance used to calculate the speed and the distance that could be driven by Gasly’s car. Based on Alpine’s evidence, it appeared that Gasly had not, in fact, exceeded the 60 km/h speed limit in the pit lane. This realization led to the rescinding of the penalties and the reinstatement of Gasly’s podium finish.
The impact on the Monaco Grand Prix standings
With Gasly’s podium reinstated, the Monaco Grand Prix results underwent a significant reshuffle. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjarwho had initially finished third, was demoted to fourth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri moved down to fifth, while Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were pushed to sixth and seventh, respectively.
This reversal of fortune has had a ripple effect on the championship standings. Gasly now sits in eighth place in the Drivers’ Championshipwith Alpine pulling further clear of Racing Bulls in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Reactions from the F1 community
Gasly expressed his delight and pride in Alpine’s efforts to overturn the penalties. Speaking to Sky Sports F1he said, “I’m extremely happy for the whole team, very proud of the whole team for the way they got that result.” He also praised the FIA and Formula One Management for their transparency and cooperation throughout the process.
The decision has been met with mixed reactions from the F1 community. While some have praised the FIA’s transparency, others have questioned the consistency of the penalties served by other drivers during the race. Mercedes’ George Russellfor instance, had to serve a drive-through penalty late in the race for his team’s failure to serve his original five-second sanction correctly.
Russell acknowledged that Gasly deserved to have his result reinstated but noted that nothing could be done to overturn his own sanctions. “This was why I was pleading with them not to give me the drive-through penalty for the incorrect penalty in the race because once you have a drive-through, there’s nothing you can do,” he said.
As the F1 circus moves on to the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, all eyes will be on Gasly and Alpine as they look to build on this positive momentum. The team’s focus is now firmly on achieving the best possible result with both of its cars in the upcoming race.
