A GP lasting over two months
Today, almost two and a half months after the conclusion of the Monaco GP, the final word on the outcome of that race should finally be written. At stake is Pierre Gasly’s third place, which the Frenchman had earned on track and which was first taken away due to the 10-second penalty assigned for two alleged violations of the pit-lane speed limit and then returned following the Right of Review request exercised by Alpine. At this point McLaren and Red Bull have in turn filed appeals: the Milton Keynes and Woking teams would be the main beneficiaries of Gasly’s demotion; Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri would move up to third and fourth place respectively in the finishing order.
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The central point of the controversy concerns the fact that – despite it being established that in that race the measurements of the cars’ pit-lane speed were calculated incorrectly – only Gasly’s penalty was removed, because the Frenchman was the only one who had not served the penalty during the race. Indeed, the #10 Alpine had the penalty seconds added after the GP ended and so only in his case was the injustice reversible.
McLaren’s position
Speaking to journalists present in Zandvoort, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained in detail the reasons that led the world champion team to appeal: “We are presenting ourselves at the hearing before the International Court of Appeal with, if you will, a dual purpose – Stella said – the first purpose is more general than just McLaren’s interest. We believe that the procedure followed in the Monaco race must be reviewed, for a matter of fairness towards all competitors. The fact that the penalty was revoked raises some significant concerns and we would like to take the opportunity offered by the International Court of Appeal to obtain clarification on this aspect”.
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“Obviously there are other aspects related to this case; the technical aspects of calculating the pit lane speed limiter could be analyzed, but for me, at a more general level, it is necessary to clarify, and possibly restore, the principle of fairness, because I believe what happened raises some serious concerns – Stella added – the second aspect concerns McLaren’s own interest. Not only do we have this level of concern, but we were also heavily penalized for serving a non-appealable sanction that cost us championship points. So, I believe there is a general interest for Formula 1, for the sport and its integrity, and a concrete interest for McLaren in terms of impact on our championship. These are the two points of view, the two perspectives we would like to explore and clarify before the International Court of Appeal”.
