Five days after the chequered flag, the Monaco Grand Prix classification has changed once again. The stewards accepted Alpine’s request for a review and overturned the two five-second penalties imposed on Pierre Gasly for alleged pit-lane speeding, restoring the French driver to the podium.
Gasly had originally crossed the finish line in third place behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton, but was later demoted after receiving two separate five-second penalties for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit. The first penalty was issued during his scheduled pit stop, while the second came during the mandatory trip through the pit lane following Lance Stroll’s accident at the final corner.
Immediately after the race, Alpine submitted a request for a review, arguing that it possessed evidence proving that Gasly had never exceeded the 60 km/h speed limit and had, in fact, maintained an additional safety margin below the threshold. According to the team, the car had been configured not to exceed 59.5 km/h.
A measurement error by FOM
During Thursday’s hearing, which was held to determine whether the review request was admissible, Formula One Management (FOM), the organization responsible for Formula 1’s timing systems and for distributing timing data to the teams, admitted that an error had occurred in the measurement of a section of the Monaco pit lane.
The timing system does not rely on a single speed measurement. Instead, it calculates average speed between multiple electronic sensors embedded in the asphalt, using data from the FIA transponder installed on every car. The distance between these sensors is initially calculated using GPS and then verified on-site by specialized FOM personnel.
However, FOM’s report stated that laser scans conducted after the event revealed that the shortest distance between the first and second sensors in the area where the alleged speeding violation occurred was only 2,615 centimetres, which was 77 centimetres shorter than the distance originally entered into the system. This discrepancy was partly caused by the fact that Monaco’s pit lane is not completely straight and follows a curved layout.
The consequence was an overestimation of the average speeds recorded by the system. Since the cars were covering a distance that was actually shorter than the value programmed into the timing software, the calculated speed inevitably appeared higher, creating the risk of unjustified penalties.
The pit-lane layout also played a role
This also explains why the FIA, which had rechecked the systems after the race, initially found no anomalies. The issue originated at the source, within the measurements used by FOM, which manages the timing infrastructure. In this case, the FIA was simply relying on the data provided.
Along the Monaco pit lane there were nine pairs of timing loops, creating measurement zones ranging from 10 to 40 metres in length. However, the Principality’s pit lane is unique because it includes several sections where drivers can effectively cut across the painted white line, something that occurred repeatedly throughout the weekend.
Not surprisingly, the FIA had advised drivers not to cut too aggressively when entering the pit lane because of the risk of triggering a penalty. This year, the positioning of the barriers had also been adjusted slightly, allowing drivers to cut even more than before.
The repositioning of those barriers ultimately contributed to the incorrect calculation of the distances between the sensors, leading to an overestimation of the average speeds recorded by the system.
Gasly never exceeded 60 km/h
The stewards specifically referenced a key section of the FOM report. Based on the times recorded by car number 10 between the two timing loops in question, 1.604 and 1.602 seconds respectively, a vehicle travelling at exactly 60 km/h would have covered distances of 2,673 centimetres and 2,670 centimetres.
When these values were compared with both the distance used by the timing system, 2,692 centimetres, and the minimum measured distance of 2,615 centimetres, the conclusion was clear: Gasly had not exceeded the 60 km/h speed limit in that section of the pit lane and therefore remained fully within the regulations.
The most significant part of the decision, however, concerned the interpretation of the rules themselves. Article B1.6.3a refers to a “speed limit” but does not explicitly state that compliance must be determined solely by the timing system.
According to the stewards, the relevant question was not whether the system had registered a violation, but whether the car had actually exceeded 60 km/h.
In light of the new evidence presented by Alpine, the answer was no. The stewards concluded that the car never surpassed the speed limit and therefore complied with the regulations. In fact, they stated that the evidence supporting Gasly’s innocence came close to meeting the legal standard of being beyond any reasonable doubt.
Already-served penalties cannot be reversed
With both penalties cancelled, Gasly officially regains the ten seconds he had lost and returns to the Monaco Grand Prix podium. Isack Hadjar, who had inherited third place after the penalties were applied, drops back to fourth.
Other drivers either served or attempted to serve their penalties during the race and, because none of them requested a review, the regulations provide no mechanism for retroactively cancelling penalties that have already been completed in the pit lane.
This also includes George Russell, who did not serve his original five-second penalty and subsequently received an additional sanction that ultimately dropped him outside the points.
“The stewards note that, regarding the other penalized cars, some served their penalties and this unfortunately affected their strategies and therefore their final results. Inevitably, questions will remain as to whether those infringements were genuine. There is no regulation that gives the stewards the authority to ‘undo’ a penalty that has already been served,” the official document stated.
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