Red Bull presses Monaco appeal as Gasly penalty row deepens

Red Bull is pressing ahead with its appeal to reinstate Isack Hadjar's lost Monaco podium after Pierre Gasly's pit-lane speeding penalties were rescinded. Team principal Laurent Mekies says the challenge is about more than third place—it's about forcing Formula 1 to clarify how non-appealable in-race penalties are measured and challenged after the checkered flag.

Why it matters:

The stewards initially hit Gasly with two five-second penalties for pit-lane speeding, dropping him from third to seventh and promoting Hadjar to his maiden senior Red Bull podium. Alpine then lodged a successful post-race Right of Review after FOM admitted the distance data used to calculate Gasly's speed was inaccurate. Because the time was added post-race rather than served in the pits, Alpine had a path to challenge—unlike McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who served his penalty mid-race and lost any appeal rights. Mekies contends that while no speed measurement is perfect, the system was consistent across the weekend and previous seasons, and nearly the entire field stayed legal, making the reversal a troubling precedent.

The details:

• Hadjar was briefly promoted to third before Alpine's appeal restored Gasly to the podium and shuffled the rookie back down the order.
• Mekies confirmed Red Bull has not yet filed its full appeal but framed the move as a "matter of principle" to ensure the sport gets "the right clarity" on penalty enforcement.
• McLaren and Mercedes have also joined the dispute; McLaren intends to appeal the Gasly decision, while Mercedes seeks a Right of Review after George Russell's penalty ruined his race.
• Gasly defended the outcome by pointing out that rivals could have also avoided serving penalties in-race to keep a post-race appeal option alive.

What's next:

The multi-team pushback is expected to force a broader review of pit-lane monitoring standards and the procedural rules that allow penalties to be overturned after a race concludes. Until the FIA delivers firmer guidance on measurement accuracy and appeal boundaries, teams may rethink whether to serve penalties immediately or risk post-race time additions that leave room for legal challenges—a strategic nuance that could alter race management.