Pierre Gasly receives Monaco GP trophy after Alpine protest overturns penalties

Pierre Gasly has finally received his third-place trophy from the Monaco Grand Prix, more than two weeks after the chequered flag fell on the Mediterranean harbor. The Alpine driver was stripped of a podium finish when officials handed him two separate five-second penalties for pit-lane speeding, but the team lodged a post-race protest that successfully overturned both sanctions and restored him to the top three.

Why it matters:

The reinstatement secures Gasly's sixth Formula 1 podium and his third with Alpine, delivering valuable championship points and a welcome morale boost for the French outfit. It also underscores how race results can remain fluid long after the finish line, creating tension across the pit lane when multiple teams trigger the regulatory appeals process in a tight championship fight.

The details:

• Alpine's protest successfully overturned dual five-second penalties for pit-lane speeding violations, reinstating Gasly to third after he had initially been dropped down the order.
• The decision denied Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar his maiden podium with the team, pushing him back to fourth in the revised classification.
• Rival appeals: Both Red Bull and McLaren have lodged separate protests, claiming they were disadvantaged by the ruling in Alpine's favor.
• Timeline: The FIA is not expected to issue a decision on the subsequent protests for several weeks, leaving the official results in prolonged uncertainty.
• Career mark: The trophy represents Gasly's sixth career podium and his third since joining the Enstone-based squad.

What's next:

Gasly can celebrate his latest piece of silverware for now, but the unresolved protests mean the Monaco podium remains unofficial. Should Red Bull and McLaren succeed in their challenges, the Frenchman could yet be asked to return the trophy to Hadjar, with the FIA's final verdict expected only after a thorough review of all appeals.