New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cBeen a rollercoaster of emotions the last few days, weird celebrations, but most importantly, incredibly happy we got our result back,\u201d Gasly wrote on social media. \u201cHuge thanks to my amazing team and all the people who supported us!\u201d<\/p>\n
The backflip rested on the bizarre revelation that the Monaco pit lane had been measured incorrectly, which the stewards found led directly to Gasly\u2019s speed being over-estimated.<\/p>\n
But the decision, handed down shortly before the start of first practice in Spain, has opened a can of worms that overshadowed the first day of running at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and could see the issue embroiled in another series of hearing \u2014 and perhaps even end up in an FIA tribunal in Paris if rivals teams are sufficiently enthusiastic.<\/p>\n
WHAT HAPPENED?<\/p>\n
Gasly was one of five drivers penalised for speeding in the pit lane on Sunday but the only driver to be pinged twice in the race.<\/p>\n
It was an unusually high penalty count \u2014 just five had been doled out over the previous five rounds of the season, only three of which were in races.<\/p>\n
In Monaco alone there were 11 infringements over the course of the weekend.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until during the race that the stewards found the strike rate strange, though they checked with race control and were told there were no obvious technical problems to report, freeing them to continue handing out penalties.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until after the race the Alpine decided to act.<\/p>\n
It did so based on one of the fundamental inputs used to determine pit lane speeding.<\/p>\n
Pit lane speed isn\u2019t assessed with a radar gun or the car\u2019s speedometer; it\u2019s measured according to average speed based on a series of timing loops that register each car\u2019s transponder as it travels down the lane.<\/p>\n
The Monaco pit lane had nine timing loops measuring zones of between 10 and 40 metres. If a car is judged to have travelled through any one of those zones faster than the 60-kilometre-per-hour Monaco limit, they were pinged for speeding.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the same system that\u2019s been used at every race for years.<\/p>\n
In Monte Carlo, however, the system had a critical flaw. Formula One Management \u2014 which serves as the official timekeeper responsible for gathering this data \u2014 got one of the measurements wrong.<\/p>\n
The first zone, which began at the pit entry line, was logged as being 2.692 metres. In actual fact, according to post-race measurements, it was 77 centimetres shorter \u2014 just 2.615 metres.<\/p>\n
Complicating matters further is that the barrier at pit entry was moved back this year, which allowed drivers to take a shorter trajectory than expected.<\/p>\n
To get calculate speed, you divide distance by time. But because this calculation was using the wrong distance, Gasly appeared to be moving through pit lane faster than he was, resulting in the penalty.<\/p>\n
Using the corrected distance, Gasly was found to have been doing no more than 58.8 kilometres per hour when he was pinged.<\/p>\n
Convinced to their comfortable satisfaction that Gasly wasn\u2019t speeding, the stewards rescinded both penalties.<\/p>\n
Gasly\u2019s podium, the sixth of his career, was reinstated.<\/p>\n
WHAT THE HEARINGS DIDN\u2019T FIND<\/p>\n
Alpine was the only team to request a right of review for a speeding penalty in Monaco.<\/p>\n
Despite the stewards uncovering a fatal flaw in the way the pit lane speed is measured, there will be no relief for any of the four other drivers who had been penalised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe stewards have sympathy for the argument that many other cars were not reported for exceeding the speed limit; however, these two right of review petitions relate only to the two penalties that were imposed on [Gasly] for allegedly exceeding the pit lane speed limit,\u201d the stewards said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe stewards note that in relation to other cars that were penalised, some served their penalty and this regrettably impacted their race strategies and therefore their race result.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will undoubtedly remain questions as to whether those breaches were genuine.<\/p>\n
\u201cNotably, no other party petitioned for a right of review within the allowable time frame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the four other drivers to be penalised, only one of them \u2014 Gasly\u2019s teammate, Franco Colapinto \u2014 had his penalty applied after the race, though he took the chequered flag outside the points anyway.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton served his penalty during the first safety car, but Ferrari forced Charles Leclerc to pit too and wait behind him, retain his second place.<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri, however, took his penalty during the race and lost three places. Gasly\u2019s rescinded penalties drop him to fifth in Monaco, costing him two points.<\/p>\n
George Russell and Mercedes will feel most bitter about this, however. Russell was pinged for speeding, but it was the miscommunication between him and his team during the first safety car that had him pit for tyres without serving his penalty, which incurred a drive-through penalty that dropped him out of the points.<\/p>\n
He was running third at the time, meaning he lost around 15 points, dropping to 68 points behind title-leading teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no regulation that gives the stewards the power to \u2018undo\u2019 a served penalty,\u201d the stewards said. \u201cIn any case, it is impossible to imagine how such power could be applied.\u201d<\/p>\n
MERCEDES CONSIDERS ITS LEGAL OPTIONS<\/p>\n
Mercedes isn\u2019t appealing the finding, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the team was considering all its legal options in light of Russell\u2019s disastrous result stemming from his speeding penalty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like the FIA to look at what could be the remedies for George\u2019s race,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have a reason to be annoyed for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were on the phone with our lawyers to look at what can we do for George.<\/p>\n
\u201cA drive-through, if it didn\u2019t happen at the end, is equivalent of 20 seconds race time. What would 20 seconds race time have meant for his result?<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we think that we realistically have a position, a chance of reverting the result? I don\u2019t think so, but we definitely have to give it a go if we see that there is a millimetre of chance to do so and bring him back to whatever it was before.<\/p>\n
Subtracting 20 seconds from Russell\u2019s race time would put him fourth, fractionally ahead of Hadjar.<\/p>\n
The stewards, however, emphasised that it wasn\u2019t within its power to reverse penalties served during the race.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s therefore extremely difficult to imagine a situation in which Russell rescues any points from Monte Carlo \u2014 at least without Mercedes attempting to take the matter all the way to the FIA International Court of Appeal, a quasi-legal body for motorsport.<\/p>\n
Two teams are pushing back against the Gasly verdict, however, with Red Bull Racing and McLaren both notifying their intention to appeal.<\/p>\n
Both teams have lost points through Gasly\u2019s promotion. Hadjar also lost his first Red Bull Racing podium and just the second top-three finish of his career.<\/p>\n
Both teams were observers in the hearing and have already made their arguments.<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing argued that the pit lane settings were the same all weekend and that teams had been told to have their drivers modify the way they traversed pit lane as a result. The team also argued that it\u2019s well know that the \u201cmethod of calculating the pit lane speed is imperfect\u201d.<\/p>\n
McLaren argued along similar lines, contending that teams coach their drivers on managing measurement discrepancies.<\/p>\n
Lodging an intention to appeal doesn\u2019t necessarily lock either team into committing to the process; teams have only an hour to notify that they\u2019re considering appealing but then have four days to get the ball rolling or withdraw the application.<\/p>\n
Despite the Monaco Grand Prix having finished almost a week ago, there could be a long way to go yet before we get the final classification.<\/p>\n
NORRIS GIVES McLAREN HOPE WITH FP2-TOPPING TIME<\/p>\n
On the track, McLaren rocketed out of the blocks to take top spot in second practice.<\/p>\n
Lando Norris took top spot in a tight battle with George Russell and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, the three drivers separated by just 0.057 seconds.<\/p>\n
After two weekends of woe, McLaren suddenly looks back on form.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just seems to be working better than the last few weeks, which is a good sign,\u201d Norris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an easy track \u2026 it\u2019s quick \u2014 obviously very different t the last few tracks we\u2019ve been to in Monaco and Montreal. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re playing with the car in a very different regime to where we have been the last few weeks, and it seems to be also just working in a better place than in the last few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re up there with the people we want to be with. It\u2019s hard to know what fuel loads and power modes other people were one, but I think we\u2019re just happy that we\u2019re heading in the right direction from the last couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear that the car is working better. It\u2019s probably not working as good as we want still, and there are still things I\u2019m not happy with. We need to improve, and I want to improve, but I think we can\u2019t complain much considering how the last month has been.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll just work hard tonight and see what we can maximise tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The difference maker is the circuit and the weather. After two tracks with no real high-energy corners \u2014 and after a chilly race in Montreal \u2014 Barcelona is a hot and high-downforce track.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s far more traditional fare for a Formula 1 car.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a very different kind of circuit to what we\u2019ve had in the last couple,\u201d said McLaren racing director Randy Singh. \u201cEven just the ambient conditions, it\u2019s a lot hotter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re dealing with here is much more things like the tyre overheating and degrading, whereas the last couple of events it\u2019s been a lot more around getting the tyres to work in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve not really had enough races this year to see if [tyre usage] is still a strength. It\u2019s not clear that it will be, but hopefully it will be. I think Sunday is really going to come down to managing the deg and having good stint pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri, for what it\u2019s worth, said McLaren was \u201cin the fight at the front\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cA much more satisfying position to be in,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a pretty good Friday for us. We\u2019re pleased with the progress we\u2019ve made, and the pace is a lot better than last week, which is a positive step.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key now is to maintain this momentum into tomorrow. While the initial signs are encouraging, there\u2019s still plenty to learn and a lot more performance to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miami, similarly warm, would certainly suggest McLaren can be optimistic.<\/p>\n
However, the long-run pace analysis from FP2 suggested the team isn\u2019t converting its single-lap pace to an entire stint.<\/p>\n
Mercedes emerged as the lead car, with McLaren towards the back of the frontrunning pack.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the sort of work the team will have to undertake overnight if it\u2019s to attempt to break its victory drought this weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s highly unusual for points to be handed out on the Friday of a grand prix weekend, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":732906,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[354540,2095,12295,64,63,68521,937,2065,13275,49522,354543,103639,2057,817,354546,354536,354547,36630,352251,813,816,2592,1802,240797,3875,2105,841,90143,354541,177555,34866,33584,1737,77350,82466,323496,354532,22298,354542,927,938,2041,2067,354530,2591,26107,354534,354535,77355,354529,36328,132250,354545,354539,12022,2111,14218,354537,25592,352247,354544,354531,25598,2643,3595,2020,141969,354538,85,354533,11545,77367,16690,128902,156339,169623,2062],"class_list":["post-732905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-allowable-time-frame","tag-america","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-ball-rolling","tag-barcelona","tag-canada","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-chequered-flag","tag-comfortable-satisfaction","tag-difference-maker","tag-europe","tag-f1","tag-famous-podium","tag-fia-international-court","tag-final-classification","tag-final-practice","tag-five-second-penalties","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-france","tag-franco-colapinto","tag-fuel-loads","tag-george-russell","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-grand-prix","tag-grand-prix-weekend","tag-high-downforce-track","tag-home-grand-prix","tag-joe-portlock","tag-kim-kardashian","tag-lando-norris","tag-lane-speed-limit","tag-legal-action","tag-legal-options","tag-long-run-pace-analysis","tag-martin-brundle","tag-measurement-discrepancies","tag-monaco","tag-montreal","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-official-timekeeper","tag-paris","tag-penalty-count","tag-pit-entry-line","tag-pit-lane-settings","tag-pit-lane-speed","tag-pit-lane-speeding","tag-podium-finish","tag-positive-step","tag-post-race-application","tag-post-race-measurements","tag-province-of-barcelona","tag-quebec","tag-race-result","tag-race-strategies","tag-race-time","tag-radar-gun","tag-randy-singh","tag-rivals-teams","tag-safety-car","tag-sky-sports","tag-southern-europe","tag-spain","tag-speed-limit","tag-speeding-penalty","tag-sports","tag-stint-pace","tag-strike-rate","tag-talking-pts","tag-top-spot","tag-trophy-cabinet","tag-tyre-usage","tag-victory-drought","tag-western-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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