Mercedes have become the second F1 team to request a right of review of the Monaco Grand Prix result after Alpine successfully protested and got Pierre Gasley’s podium spot reinstated. Lewis Hamilton became F1’s oldest race winner since 1970 on Sunday, winning the Barcelona Grand Prix from George Russell and Lando Norris.
But the majority of the F1 world was still talking about Monaco. Gasly was initially demoted from third spot in last weekend’s race after being accused of speeding in the pit lane twice.
But Alpine successful proved that officials made an error in the way the pit-lane speed was being tracked. Stewards reinstated Gasly to third place, which meant Isack Hadjar was stripped of his podium place and sent back to fourth.
Lewis Hamilton (L) won the Barcelona Grand Prix after Kimi Antonelli (R) retired late in the race. Image: Getty
Gasly was one of five drivers who copped penalties in Monaco for alleged speeding in the pits, along with George Russell and Oscar Piastri. Russell was running third when he was ordered to complete a drive-through penalty, which sent him back to 12th.
On Sunday during the Barcelona Grand Prix, Mercedes confirmed they’d joined Alpine in asking for a right of review. Alpine effectively showed that none of the drivers had actually broken the rules in the pit-lane because stewards had measured the distance incorrectly.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said on Sunday: “We just simply want to sit on the table when decisions are being made.” Wolff said he believed their case was “a long shot”, but added: “I’m not sure this is going to hold with the judges but we have to do it for George’s benefit.”
Pierre Gasly was reinstated to third place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
(Jayce Illman via Getty Images)Oscar Piastri in disbelief after F1 result changed
Speaking on Saturday in Barcelona, Piastri questioned how the Gasly result could be overturned and not that of the four other drivers. Gasly was the only one who copped post-race penalties, while Piastri and Russell served theirs during the race.
“When other people have been penalised for the same thing and served the penalty in the race, how you can then change one penalty knowing that probably five or six other races have been impacted by that is astonishing,” the Aussie said. “I’ve obviously lost a position but I can only imagine how George is feeling. So I could not believe my eyes.
“I lost the position to Pierre because I served the penalty, so technically I should be P3, but then technically George should be P3 and the whole thing is now a mess. Quite the predicament they’ve got themselves into and I don’t know how you get yourself out of that one because now the precedent as it is is you don’t serve the penalty, you take it to court, wait probably a few months to decide the race and who the hell wants to go racing like that. So perplexed is the word I will use.”
Oscar Piastri has criticised the decision to change the Monaco result.
(Jayce Illman via Getty Images)
There was more pain for Mercedes on Sunday when Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire with just five laps remaining while running second in Barcelona. It meant Russell was able to capture second place and Norris ended up on the podium in third.