Monaco GP Stews: FIA Sets Date for Mercedes' Right of Review Hearing

The controversy surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix continues as the FIA announced a hearing date for Mercedes' right of review concerning George Russell's penalty. The race, held on June 7, was marred by nine penalties and a podium reclassification for Pierre Gasly, with Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli initially declared the winner.

The initial alteration to the classification involved Pierre Gasly's podium, which Alpine successfully appealed. This led McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull Racing to also challenge penalties imposed by the FIA. Mercedes is now set to defend its appeal regarding Russell's penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit, though paddock reactions in Barcelona were not optimistic about a reversal.

Alpine's successful appeal for Gasly highlighted potential precision issues with Formula One Management's (FOM) timing systems. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the complexity of overturning Russell's penalty, noting that while the British driver served his penalty in Monaco, Alpine had not initially adhered to Gasly's 10-second penalty. Wolff stated the review was sought to force clarification from the stewards, admitting, "I still think it is very unlikely to succeed."

The FIA issued a statement, N°102, setting the hearing for Friday, June 19. According to Article 14.4.1 of the International Sporting Code, the judges must unanimously agree that the acceptance of FOM's measurement errors and the resolution in favor of Alpine constitute new, significant, and relevant evidence not available during the Grand Prix. If this technical and legal threshold is met, the FIA will formally reopen the Monaco Grand Prix case file for re-evaluation and potential annulment of Russell's penalty.

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We want to have a say in decision-making, but I still think it is very unlikely to succeed.