Gasly regains Monaco GP podium after FIA admits pit lane timing error
Alpine's Pierre Gasly was restored to third place at the Monaco Grand Prix on Friday after the FIA overturned his two pit lane speeding penalties, accepting a 77-centimetre measurement error that had overestimated his speed.
Race day penalties
Pierre Gasly crossed the finish line third at the Monaco Grand Prix on 7 June, but two five-second penalties for pit lane speeding dropped him to seventh. The Frenchman was clocked at 60.1 km/h and 60.4 km/h in the pit lane, where the limit is 60 km/h. He was one of six drivers penalised for similar marginal infringements, including Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Franco Colapinto, all recorded just 0.1 km/h over the limit.
I am heartbroken. To have a lifelong dream of a Monaco podium taken away from me for reasons which I just cannot comprehend.
Alpine's appeal and the timing error
Alpine filed a right of review, presenting new evidence that the official timing system had miscalculated speed. Formula One Management (FOM), the timekeeping provider, acknowledged a discrepancy of 77 cm between the distance it used for calculations (26.92 metres) and the actual distance measured post-race by LIDAR (26.15 metres). This overestimated Gasly's speed, leading to the penalties.
- Gasly finishes 3rd but two penalties for pit lane speeding drop him to 7th.
- FOM submits evidence showing the pit lane distance used for speed calculation was off by 77 cm.
- FIA stewards hold a hearing with Alpine to review the penalties.
- Stewards overturn Gasly's penalties, restoring his Monaco GP podium.
The stewards' decision
After a two-part hearing on 10–11 June, the stewards ruled on Friday that Gasly had not exceeded the speed limit, overturning both penalties and reinstating his third place. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis stated that the timekeeper's method of measuring the pit lane in Monaco may have been insufficient. Alpine welcomed the decision, thanking the FIA and FOM for their transparency.
Consequences for other drivers
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), who had celebrated his first career podium in Gasly's place, drops to fourth. Piastri falls to fifth, Liam Lawson to sixth, and Arvid Lindblad to seventh. George Russell, who served a drive-through penalty during the race and finished 12th, had pleaded for a post-race penalty addition but could not benefit from Alpine's success.
It would be a kick in the balls if Gasly had his penalties overturned.
The FIA acknowledged that other drivers had already served penalties that affected their strategies, and no other team had petitioned for review within the allowed timeframe. There is no regulation allowing stewards to undo a served penalty. McLaren said it intends to appeal Piastri's sanction.
Gasly's reclaimed achievement
The decision gives Gasly his sixth career podium, his first since Brazil 2024, and moves him to eighth in the drivers' standings with 35 points.
