Laurent Mekies has defended Red Bull’s decision to appeal the revised 2026 Monaco Grand Prix result after the FIA International Court of Appeal restored Isack Hadjar to third place and reinstated Pierre Gasly’s two five-second penalties. The Red Bull Team Principal insists the ruling does not create a dangerous precedent for Formula 1 but instead protects the principle that teams should be able to trust the final classification once a race has finished.
Formula 1 may have moved on to Monza, but the Monaco controversy remains a major talking point in the paddock. Third place in the Principality has changed hands once again, with Isack Hadjar regaining the podium after Pierre Gasly’s two penalties for speeding in the pit lane were reapplied.
The additional 10 seconds drop the Alpine driver back to seventh place, a decision that angered Flavio Briatore. Laurent Mekies, however, believes justice has ultimately been served.
Laurent Mekies explains why Red Bull appealed the Monaco result
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Laurent Mekies stressed that Red Bull’s decision to take the case to the FIA International Court of Appeal was about more than simply recovering Isack Hadjar’s podium.
“I’m very happy that the court restored Isack’s podium,” Laurent Mekies said. “Obviously it’s important for Isack, but we also did it because we felt it was important for the sport. I don’t think we really want to go racing and then have to worry, after the race, about whether the speed-limit check was correct or not.”
“We felt that in Monaco a lot of cars complied with the [pit-lane] speed limits, while some exceeded them. Some of those had already served their penalties, while others had not. It was important to have consistent regulations for racing, so we’re happy with the court’s result.”
“That was exactly why we took it to the Court of Appeal: because we felt it was important for the sport and, obviously, for Isack. It was his first podium with us.”
The ruling has also affected McLaren, which joined Red Bull in challenging the decision that had initially restored Pierre Gasly to third place. The Woking team remains deeply involved in the wider championship fight, with its latest position reflected in the 2026 Formula 1 driver standings.
Mekies rejects claim that FIA ruling creates a dangerous precedent
Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle then asked Laurent Mekies whether taking the dispute all the way to the FIA International Court of Appeal could itself create a dangerous precedent by opening the door to more retrospective changes to race results.
Laurent Mekies strongly rejected that interpretation.
“I think it’s the opposite, Martin,” he replied. “I think [this ruling] will prevent non-appealable decisions from being challenged after the race, which is what happened with the pit-lane speed case in Monaco. So I think it’s good news, because it means you can see the final race result at the moment the race finishes.”
The issue centred on penalties that are imposed during a Grand Prix and are not normally open to appeal. Laurent Mekies argued that competitors make strategic decisions during the race on the assumption that those penalties will remain in force.
“There are penalties that are applied during the race in different circumstances, for example for collisions or speeding in the pit lane, and those penalties are not appealable,” Laurent Mekies continued. “We all raced taking those penalties into account.”
Red Bull says teams must be able to trust the final race result
For Red Bull, the key concern was that Isack Hadjar and the rest of the field had completed the Monaco Grand Prix believing Pierre Gasly’s penalties would remain part of the final classification.
“So we knew that Pierre, ahead of Isack, had that penalty to serve and we knew it was not appealable. The fact that it was challenged after the race created a dangerous precedent because it was a non-appealable penalty and we raced accordingly.”
“So I think it’s positive for the fans and for the sport to be able to have even more confidence when looking at the final result of a race and knowing that it will remain that way.”
The Court’s decision ultimately restored Isack Hadjar to third place and returned Pierre Gasly to seventh, while Oscar Piastri also regained fourth position. For McLaren and Red Bull, however, the significance of the case went beyond individual championship points.
The central argument was one of sporting consistency: if competitors race according to penalties that are considered non-appealable, teams need confidence that those decisions will not later be overturned through a process that could place drivers who served their sanctions at a disadvantage.
For Laurent Mekies, that is precisely why the final FIA judgment should make Formula 1’s procedures more predictable rather than less. Isack Hadjar has his Monaco podium back, but Red Bull believes the lasting significance of the ruling lies in strengthening confidence in the result seen at the chequered flag.
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