-
Pierre Gasly has been dropped from third to seventh in the final Monaco Grand Prix classification.
McLaren and Red Bull successfully challenged the handling of controversial pit-lane speeding penalties.
-
Isack Hadjar is restored to third place, while Oscar Piastri moves up to fourth.
September 04, (THEWILL) — Pierre Gasly has lost his Monaco Grand Prix podium after the FIA Court of Appeal overturned the outcome of a dispute surrounding pit-lane speeding penalties.
The Alpine driver had been promoted to third place after his team successfully appealed two five-second penalties imposed during the race.
However, a subsequent appeal by McLaren and Red Bull has now restored the original classification, meaning Gasly drops back to seventh.
The ruling also reshuffles several positions behind the winner, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar returning to third and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri moving into fourth.
Gasly’s Podium Removed After Appeal
Gasly originally finished third on the road in Monaco but was handed two five-second penalties for pit-lane speeding.
Alpine successfully appealed those penalties in June after establishing that Gasly had not actually exceeded the 60km/h limit when the pit lane was measured using a shorter route.
That decision elevated Gasly to the podium.
McLaren subsequently challenged the ruling, arguing that the change had affected the competitive order and cost Piastri two championship points.
The latest appeal has now gone in McLaren and Red Bull’s favour, restoring the original results.
77cm Discrepancy at Centre of Controversy
At the heart of the dispute was a 77-centimetre difference between the official measurement of Monaco’s pit lane and the shortest route a driver could physically take.
The FIA’s established system calculated pit-lane speed using average speed across a designated timing sector rather than instantaneous speed.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the measurement parameter used during the race could not be changed retrospectively after competitors had already been required to set up and compete according to it.
The court also concluded that the original measurement was not itself inaccurate. It had been physically measured, checked before the event and used throughout practice and the race.
According to the ruling, changing the benchmark after the competition would undermine sporting fairness because all competitors had been judged using the same established parameter.
Russell Among Those Affected
The controversy extended beyond Gasly and the podium positions.
Mercedes driver George Russell was also affected after receiving a penalty for failing to correctly serve an earlier pit-lane speeding penalty. The additional sanction ultimately pushed him out of the points.
The Court of Appeal’s decision therefore settles the classification based on the original measurement system, rather than reopening the results using the alternative measurement identified after the race.
Alpine Disagrees But Accepts Decision
Alpine said it disagreed with the ruling and continued to maintain that Gasly had not exceeded the pit-lane speed limit.
The team nevertheless accepted the decision and said its focus had now returned to improving its performance on track.
The outcome leaves Gasly seventh in the final Monaco Grand Prix classification, while Hadjar regains third place and Piastri moves up to fourth.
With the championship battle continuing, the ruling brings an end to one of the most unusual controversies of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
