The aftershocks of the Monaco Grand Prix continue to ripple through the paddock, and a definitive date has now been set to determine the admissibility of Mercedes’ Right of Review regarding the race results in the Principality. The official hearing will take place on Saturday morning, June 20th, at 9:00 AM via video conference.
The official FIA statement
“On Friday, 12 June 2026, the Stewards received a petition for review in accordance with Article 14.1.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code from Mercedes regarding the decision of the Stewards of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix in relation to Pierre Gasly’s car,” the official statement reads.
“The team representative is required to attend a hearing before the Stewards on Saturday, 20 June 2026, at 09:00 CEST, in relation to the above. The hearing will be held virtually via video conference, details of which will be provided in a separate communication. It should be noted that this hearing will be held in two parts. The first part will be to determine the admissibility of the petition and, if admissible, whether a significant and relevant new element exists which was unavailable to the stewards at the time of the decision concerned. Should the Stewards determine in accordance with Article 14.3 of the FIA International Sporting Code that such an element exists, a second part of the hearing will be convened at a time to be advised, in all probability shortly after the first part of the hearing. Any other concerned party may request permission from the Stewards to attend.”
Mercedes targets sporting equity over Russell’s penalties
Reading through the official documentation, it appears that Mercedes’ primary objective is no longer to re-evaluate the specific penalty handed out to George Russell. The British driver had been given the exact same sanction as Gasly, which was subsequently overturned by the stewards after they recognized a fundamental calibration flaw in the pit lane speed detection hardware.
Crucially, the stewards’ latest briefing note contains absolutely no reference to the penalty given to the #63 car, focusing exclusively on the enforcement against Gasly. From a regulatory perspective, a legal request demanding the retroactive cancellation of a penalty already served live on track would hold very little weight, regardless of how unjust the initial decision might have been. Yesterday, McLaren—who directly lost constructors’ championship points due to Gasly being reinstated to the Monaco podium—also formalized their appeal, stating that “this case raises important questions regarding sporting fairness, regulatory consistency, and the integrity of the competition.”
However, the competitive implications differ wildly between the two protesting teams. For the Woking-based squad, dropping Gasly back down to P7 would automatically restore Oscar Piastri to P4, yielding an additional two world championship points. For Mercedes, on the other hand, the revised classification would change absolutely nothing in terms of their immediate point tally, making their push entirely about establishing a fair regulatory precedent.
In conclusion, the upcoming FIA hearing highlights the deeper concerns among top teams regarding officiating consistency and technical accuracy in modern Formula 1. By pursuing this Right of Review despite having no direct points to gain, Mercedes is joining McLaren in a broader effort to force the governing body to clarify its legal framework, ensuring automated tracking errors do not compromise competitive equity in future world championship events.
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