Former F1 TV presenter Will Buxton has argued that Pierre Gasly’s reinstated Monaco Grand Prix podium “sets a hornet’s nest of a precedent”.
The FIA reinstated the Alpine driver’s third place at the Monaco Grand Prix following a successful Right of Review.
Gasly crossed the finish line third in Monte Carlo but was demoted to seventh after receiving two five-second penalties for allegedly speeding in the pitlane. While the Frenchman wasn’t the only driver to be penalised for the same offence, Alpine was the only team to launch a Right of Review and the majority of the other drivers served the penalties in the race.
Alpine was able to provide enough evidence to the FIA that was not available to the stewards at the time to prove that Gasly was not speeding in the pitlane. The governing body officially rescinded the penalties on Friday morning.
While the outcome rights the wrong for Alpine, the decision has created a complex regulatory precedent, according to Buxton.
“Points are points but nothing can replace the loss for Pierre Gasly of standing on that special podium,” Buxton posted on X.
“Good the FIA righted a wrong, but given the result could only be reinstated because penalties weren’t served in the race, sets a hornet’s nest of a precedent.”
As a knock-on effect, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has confirmed the team is weighing up its legal options after George Russell lost a points-paying position in Monaco due to similar penalties to Gasly’s. It is also understood that McLaren and Red Bull have told the FIA of their intention to appeal.
“It was a very unfortunate situation and clearly we can all learn from that,” Wolff said during the team press conference on Friday in Barcelona. “It wasn’t something that just came up on Sunday … For us as a team, and especially for George, there are some implications.
“Without the penalty, without us not serving it correctly, it would have been a totally different outcome for his race. A different outcome would have had an impact on his championship situation. That’s why it’s unfortunate. Now we are assessing, as we speak, what the Gasly situation does for George.
“We would like the FIA to look at what are the remedies … What could be the remedies for George’s race? And I don’t think there is … I think we have some timing limitations, legal constraints, but definitely we have a reason to be annoyed. I wish we could have had this conversation before the race on Sunday.
“We were just on the phone with our lawyers to see what we can do for George. It’s data they have measured and collected. There is no political background, no favours, it is the outcome of their analysis.
“Without the Monaco incidents, he (Russell) would have scored solid points. And so this continues and it’s been somehow, the signature of this campaign so far.”
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