The Formula 1 season continues this weekend in Barcelona, but the fallout from the Monaco Grand Prix continues to dominate headlines. Pierre Gasly has been reinstated to the podium after a successful appeal, leaving rival teams, particularly Mercedes, furious.
Gasly's Appeal Successful
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was one of five competitors penalised at Monaco for pit lane speeding, receiving two five-second time penalties that dropped him from third to seventh. However, Alpine presented new evidence to the stewards, who determined that Gasly did not exceed the 60 km/h speed limit. As a result, Gasly has been restored to third place, behind winner Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.
An official statement confirmed: 'Following the acceptance of the petition, the finding of its admissibility... the stewards' sole task is to determine if Car 10 [Gasly] exceeded the speed limit of 60 km/h in the pit lane. We determine that it did not.'
Gasly's Relief
Gasly expressed his joy at the outcome, telling Sky Sports: 'I'm extremely happy for the whole team, very proud of the whole team for the way they got that result. Sunday night, I felt very low. A lot of mixed emotions - proud of the performance, extremely sad about the whole decision and situation, some injustice in that situation.' He praised the transparency of F1 and the FIA in recognising their responsibilities.
Mercedes Furious
Despite the upbeat mood at Alpine, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed he has consulted lawyers to assess the possibility of contesting George Russell's penalty. Russell failed to serve his time penalty correctly and was hit with a drive-through penalty, dropping him from third to 13th. A source close to Mercedes confirmed the team was 'livid', with Wolff believing Gasly's appeal has 'massive implications' for the remaining drivers.
Wolff explained: 'For us as a team, and especially for George, it has massive implications. Clearly without the penalty, and without us not serving it correctly, it would have been a totally different outcome for his race.' He added that they are assessing what remedies might be possible for Russell, though he acknowledged reversing the result is unlikely. 'But we definitely have to give it a go if we see there is a millimetre of a chance to do so, and bring him back to whatever it was, P3 or P4.'
Russell admitted the situation was the 'latest kick in the balls' as he now trails Antonelli by 68 points in the drivers' championship.
