McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has voiced significant surprise and frustration following the decision to overturn a pit-lane speeding penalty issued to Alpine's Pierre Gasly during the recent Monaco Grand Prix. Gasly, who initially dropped to seventh place, saw his third-place finish reinstated after a successful appeal by his team, Alpine.
The controversy stems from the stewards' acknowledgment of an error in measuring the pit-lane speed limit. This miscalculation led to several drivers being penalised for exceeding the 60km/h limit when, in fact, they had not. Piastri, who also received a penalty and consequently lost at least one position to Gasly, described himself as 'pretty mind-blown' by the reversal.
Piastri highlighted the inconsistency of the decision, noting that while Gasly's penalty was expunged, other drivers had already served their punishments for the same technical infraction. He questioned the fairness of altering one penalty when 'five or six other races have been impacted by that'. Other drivers affected included Mercedes' George Russell, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, and Gasly's team-mate Franco Colapinto.
The stewards' report in Alpine's 'right of review' case confirmed that the pit lane's measured length was inaccurate, leading to an incorrect calculation of drivers' speeds. This meant drivers were deemed to be speeding when their actual velocity was within the permitted 60km/h. The report also indicated that officials were asked about unusual circumstances after the third penalty was awarded during the race, but were told there were no issues, despite teams having raised concerns with the FIA earlier in the weekend.
The decision to overturn Gasly's penalty has had direct consequences for other competitors, notably demoting Red Bull's Isack Hadjar from a podium finish and dropping Piastri from fourth to fifth. This has led to further discontent within the paddock, with Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren all having given notice of their intention to appeal the Gasly decision. Piastri expressed concern over the precedent this sets, suggesting it could encourage drivers to dispute penalties in court rather than serving them, potentially delaying final race results for months.
Gasly, however, defended the decision, arguing that he should not be penalised for an infraction that did not occur, regardless of whether others were mistakenly penalised. He emphasised the importance of 'drawing the line here' rather than perpetuating an error.
Source: F1 Statement, Oscar Piastri remarks