McLaren lodges appeal against decision to cancel Gasly Monaco penalties

McLaren has lodged a notification of appeal with the FIA International Court of Appeal against the adjusted result of Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix.

On the Friday after the Monaco GP, the stewards cancelled Pierre Gasly’s two penalties, which resulted in him moving from seventh to third in the adjusted classification.

This was due to an admission of a Formula One Management measurement error having been made with the pitlane speed limit. 

Gasly’s reinstatement into third stripped Isack Hadjar of his first F1 podium with Red Bull Racing and also demoted Oscar Piastri and the Racing Bulls duo one position each.

Piastri said he was “mind-blown” by the decision at Barcelona on Saturday, and McLaren had already lodged a notification of appeal within an hour of the decision being made, as per the rules.

That gave it 96 hours to decide whether or not to follow through, and it has now chosen to do so with the FIA International Court of Appeal.  

McLaren’s argument centres on the fact that teams were aware of pitlane speed discrepancies and some adjusted their procedures for the race to take more margin to mitigate the measurement errors. 

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.

“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 pitlane 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.

“Our decision to appeal is not directed at any competitor. Rather, it reflects our belief that the championship benefits from regulations that are applied consistently, transparently and fairly to all participants.

“McLaren remains committed to working constructively with the FIA, Formula 1 and fellow competitors to protect the integrity of the sport and maintain confidence in its regulatory framework.”

Red Bull was also weighing up whether to follow through with its appeal. It hasn’t handed back the third-place trophy to Pierre Gasly and Alpine yet. Red Bull insists it is in the process of arranging for the trophy to get to Alpine.

Mercedes has been discussing the matter with its lawyers - George Russell received two penalties that dropped him well outside the points. It's going down the right of review path that Alpine used to get the penalty overturned in the first place.

"We've asked for a right of review, because you just simply want to sit on the table when decisions are being made," he said. "[But] I still think it's a long shot.”