FIA appeal court to have final say on Gasly's Monaco GP podium

The final classification for the Monaco Grand Prix podium remains in limbo more than two months after the race, with Formula One's international court of appeal set to convene in Paris on Tuesday. The hearing will determine who officially secured third place in the Mediterranean principality on June 7.

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly had initially finished third but was subsequently demoted to seventh after stewards applied two five-second penalties for pit-lane speeding. However, this decision was overturned on June 12 when stewards accepted Alpine's evidence of a timekeeping error, reinstating Gasly and leading to Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who had been promoted to third, handing back his trophy.

“

We think that the process that happened after the race in Monaco needs to be reviewed because from a (standpoint of) fairness for all competitors, the fact that the penalty was removed introduces some significant elements of concern.

The post-race penalty adjustments have sparked controversy, with McLaren and Red Bull lodging appeals with the international court on June 16. McLaren's concern stems from their driver Oscar Piastri, who was penalized for the same offense under circumstances where he believed it was unavoidable, despite not speeding. Unlike Gasly, who had time added post-race, Piastri served his penalties during the race, impacting his performance and championship points.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella highlighted the dual intent of the appeal. "We think that the process that happened after the race in Monaco needs to be reviewed because from a (standpoint of) fairness for all competitors, the fact that the penalty was removed introduces some significant elements of concern," he stated. Stella also pointed to the "material interest for McLaren in terms of our championship impact" due to penalties served by Piastri. The FIA confirmed the hearing will be held confidentially at its headquarters, with a decision to be published promptly.

“

The second aspect is the interest of McLaren. We got also materially penalised for having served a penalty that is not appealable and this even cost us points in the championship.