After Alpine's appeal: Gasly gets Monaco podium place back

The decision followed a successful appeal by Alpine. The team was able to prove ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix that Gasly had not exceeded the speed limit. The motorsport governing body FIA had calculated the official pit lane measurement zone 77 centimetres too long due to changed track limits.

Applying this distance to Gasly's two disputed cases, he was at 58.7 km/h and 58.8 km/h — always within the regulation-compliant range. The stewards had accused him on Sunday of two violations of Monaco's applicable speed limit of 60 km/h — by 0.1 km/h in the first instance and 0.4 km/h in the second.

Background: 77-centimetre measurement error

The two five-second penalties handed out to Gasly in the Principality for allegedly driving too fast in the pit lane were revoked following a hearing. Unlike his rivals, the Frenchman had not served his penalty during the race, but received it only afterwards. "Der Franzose saß im Gegensatz zu seinen Konkurrenten seine Strafe aber nicht ab, weshalb nach dem unverzüglichen Protest von Alpine gegen seine Versetzung auf den siebenten Rang sein Fall nach einem Einspruch auch neu untersucht werden konnte."

The consequence: Gasly initially dropped from the two five-second penalties, which had been imposed after the race last Sunday, to seventh place, but has now climbed back up to third. He thus finishes behind race winner Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), who currently races for the Scuderia.

The return to the podium has immediate effects on the Monaco Grand Prix result. Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar slipped off the podium and is now fourth. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri moves up to fifth, with the Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad classified sixth and seventh. "Der am vergangenen Sonntag nachträglich als Dritter gewertete Isack Hadjar von Red Bull verliert seinen Podestplatz."

Impact on the standings

For Hadjar, whose compatriot's and first Formula 1 podium came at the 2025 Zandvoort race, the decision means another wait for a podium with Red Bull. Following the revised Monaco result, he sits ninth in the drivers' standings.

In the overall drivers' classification, Gasly improves significantly thanks to the restored podium: he moves from tenth to eighth and is eight points behind Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion who drives for Red Bull. "Es werden zweifellos Fragen bleiben, ob diese Verstöße tatsächlich vorlagen," the FIA statement said.

In the constructors' standings, Alpine extends its lead over Racing Bulls in the battle for fifth place, often dubbed "best of the rest" by fans. The team run by team principal Flavio Briatore thus consolidates its position in the Formula 1 midfield.

Reactions and initial statements

The Monaco podium marks the first podium for Alpine and for Gasly since November 2024. In total, it is the sixth of his career in the premier class of motorsport. As the driver himself said: "Wir alle arbeiten so hart für diese Momente, und dann wird dir das so weggenommen. Ich bin seit zehn Jahren in der Formel 1, ich habe fünf Podien und es schmerzt, wenn du auf einem Podestplatz ins Ziel fährst und so etwas passiert."

The fact that it was Alpine of all teams that benefited from the correction was due to a formal detail. Other affected drivers had already served their time penalties during the race, leaving their teams no comparable avenue for appeal. A total of five drivers were accused of pit lane speeding in Monaco, and in almost all cases the excess was 0.1 km/h.

The FIA explicitly acknowledged the measurement error in its decision. It also made clear that there is "keine Regel, die den Sportkommissaren die Befugnis gibt, eine bereits verbüßte Strafe rückgängig zu machen". Since Gasly had not served his penalty during the race, the way was clear for a correction.

The stewards had reopened the case on Thursday and confirmed their decision on Friday, on the sidelines of the Barcelona-Catalunya weekend. The revised result is, however, subject to further legal steps. "Die Teams haben 96 Stunden Zeit, um die Entscheidung zu prüfen und gegebenenfalls Einspruch einzulegen."

What remains open

According to media reports, McLaren and Red Bull reserve the right to challenge Alpine's decision. Another team did not file a comparable request for revocation. The finale of the current Formula 1 weekend is imminent with the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

The FIA also stated that the original decisions had unfortunately affected the race strategy for some drivers and thus the race result. While the formal review of the incident is therefore concluded, the sporting consequences could still be a topic in the days to come.

For Pierre Gasly personally, the return to the podium after a difficult stretch is an emotional moment. The 30-year-old had complained immediately after the race in Monaco about what he considered unjustified penalties — and has now, five days later, been proved right at the stewards' room.

"Pierre Gasly hat seinen dritten Platz vom Grand Prix von Monaco zurückbekommen," the FIA summarised on Friday. The stewards had lifted the sanctions against the Alpine driver for a pit lane speeding violation because they had made a 77-centimetre measurement error.