The appeal into Pierre Gasly’s Monaco podium could take another three weeks to reach a result. Image: XPB Images
McLaren and Red Bull presented their cases to the FIA’s International Court of Appeal on Tuesday over the decision to reinstate Pierre Gasly to third place after his pit lane speeding penalties were overturned.
The closed-door hearing was considered by a panel of four judges, with a verdict not expected immediately because of the complexity of the arguments surrounding both Gasly’s case and the wider treatment of penalties that have already been served.
A decision is now not expected for another two to three weeks.
It leaves Gasly and Alpine waiting to discover whether the Frenchman will retain his Monaco podium, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar could yet be restored to third place.
The dispute dates back to the June 7 race, when Gasly received two five-second penalties after being recorded at 60.1km/h and 60.4km/h against the 60km/h pit lane limit.
As neither sanction had been served during the race, 10 seconds was added to his finishing time and initially dropped him from third to seventh.
Alpine subsequently launched a right of review after evidence emerged that the distance used by Formula One Management to calculate pit lane speeds had been incorrect.
A post-event scan found the distance between the relevant timing loops was 77cm shorter than the figure used in the calculations, meaning it could not be established that Gasly had actually exceeded the limit.
The stewards accepted the information as new evidence and removed both penalties on June 12, returning Gasly to third place.
That decision dropped Hadjar from third to fourth and Oscar Piastri from fourth to fifth, while Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad also moved back one position.
Monaco podium dispute heads to FIA court
McLaren and Red Bull lodged appeals four days later against the decisions which had cleared Gasly.
Their objections go beyond the Alpine driver’s result, with several other competitors having been penalised for the same pit lane issue during the race.
Piastri was among those to serve a five-second sanction during his pit stop, while George Russell served a drive-through after failing to correctly serve his initial penalty.
Unlike Gasly, those penalties could not subsequently be undone because they had already been served before the race finished.
That difference has become a central part of McLaren’s challenge, with team principal Andrea Stella arguing the case raises questions extending beyond the championship points lost in Monaco.
“We go to the hearing at the International Court of Appeal with a double intent,” Stella said following the Dutch Grand Prix.
“The first intent is more general than the interest of McLaren. We think that the process that happened after the race in Monaco needs to be reviewed because from fairness for all competitors, the fact that the penalty was removed introduces some significant elements of concern.
“And we would like to take the opportunity of the International Court of Appeal for a clarification of this aspect.”
Stella said McLaren also wanted the court to consider the direct impact on its own result after Piastri had already served his sanction.
“The second aspect is the interest of McLaren ourselves. We were also materially penalised for having served a penalty that is not appealable. And this cost us points in the championship,” said Stella.
“So, there’s a general interest for Formula 1 and the integrity of the sport. And there’s a material interest for McLaren in terms of our championship impact.
“These are the two points of view, the two perspectives that we would like to pursue and seek clarification for in the coming International Court of Appeal.”
Red Bull’s appeal is similarly tied to the reversal of Gasly’s penalties, which removed Hadjar from the podium after he had initially been promoted to third in the provisional classification.
Mercedes considered taking action after Russell was affected by the same faulty measurements, with team principal Toto Wolff revealing the team had consulted its lawyers, but ultimately chose not to pursue the matter.
The International Court of Appeal now has the task of determining whether the stewards were correct to erase Gasly’s sanctions and what implications that decision may have for penalties served by other drivers.
Until its judgement is published, the amended Monaco result will remain in place with Gasly classified third, Hadjar fourth and Piastri fifth.