Pierre Gasly will retain his fourth-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix after the FIA court of appeal rejected Alpine’s challenge regarding a pit-lane speeding penalty. The decision restores the original sanction, meaning McLaren’s Oscar Piastri keeps the two points lost during the initial adjudication.
The controversy centered on a 77-centimeter discrepancy between the officially measured pit-lane distance and the shortest possible route a driver could take. In June, Alpine successfully appealed, arguing that under the shorter measurement, Gasly had not exceeded the 60km/h limit. That ruling overturned his five-second penalty, promoting him to third place and demoting Piastri.
McLaren appealed the overturn on grounds of sporting fairness. The court of appeal in Paris ruled that while a shorter distance was technically feasible, the official benchmark established before the race must remain fixed. The panel stated that “sporting fairness absolutely precludes the retrospective replacement” of a calibration parameter by a different measurement approach after competitors have already raced against the original standard.
The verdict emphasized that the pit-lane distance used was physically tape-measured, checked prior to the event, and consistently applied throughout free practice and the race. The court noted that at no point did Formula 1 indicate that a different distance parameter should apply.
“The enforcement regime is workable only if the benchmark against which all competitors calibrate is common, stable and applied equally throughout the competition,” the ruling stated. “Once the official timekeeper has established and adopted the distance parameter used… sporting fairness and equal treatment require that the parameter remains fixed.”
Red Bull also supported the appeal, as the outcome affected their competitive standing. Alpine acknowledged the decision but maintained its position. “While we disagree with the decision, and still fully maintain that car 10 (Gasly) did not exceed the pit-lane speed limit at any point during the race, the team acknowledges the decision of the judging panel,” the team said in a statement.
Alpine added that the team remains focused on improving its performance as it continues to fight in a close championship battle.
Stability in rules matters more than a single team’s interpretation. Glad this got corrected.
Wait, the shortest possible route was shorter? I always assumed they measured the racing line exactly.
Still feels harsh that Gasly loses points for a distance dispute. The team didn’t break any rules during the race.
This is exactly why pre-race calibration matters. Sport fairness demands consistency over creative arguments.
Piastri kept his two points, which is what really matters here. Justice served!