Pierre Gasly loses Monaco podium after McLaren appeal win

Alpine's Pierre Gasly has been stripped of his Monaco Grand Prix podium after the FIA International Court of Appeal upheld protests by McLaren and Red Bull. The court reinstated his two pit-lane speeding penalties 89 days after the race, demoting him to seventh and returning third place to Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.

Key Takeaways

• Pierre Gasly drops from third to seventh in the official 2026 Monaco GP result.
• Isack Hadjar regains third, with Oscar Piastri fourth and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad fifth and sixth.
• The FIA court rejected Alpine's claim that Monaco's pit-lane speed measurement was fatally flawed.
• Alpine boss Flavio Briatore alleged judge bias toward McLaren; the FIA court and Andrea Stella rejected those claims.

What happened to Pierre Gasly's Monaco podium?

Gasly finished the June Monaco race in a podium position on track, but two 10-second time penalties for pit-lane speeding immediately demoted him to seventh. He was among five drivers penalized for minor breaches of the 60 km/h pit limit, having been recorded 0.1 km/h and 0.4 km/h over on two visits.

Alpine later won a right-of-review protest, arguing the FIA's pit-entry speed system was flawed after Monaco's curved pit layout changed. Stewards accepted new evidence—including from Formula One Management—that the official timing distance of 26.92 meters was longer than a shorter theoretical path of 26.15 meters, and Gasly's podium was restored ahead of Barcelona.

McLaren, Red Bull, and Racing Bulls challenged that decision. On Friday, the independent FIA International Court of Appeal threw out Alpine's earlier win, confirming Hadjar's second career podium and his first since joining Red Bull this year. Alpine said it was disappointed but would respect the Paris ruling while still maintaining Car 10 never exceeded the limit. Full details are in ESPN's race report.

Why did the FIA court reinstate the penalties?

The court held that Alpine's post-race measurements—described as a "best estimate"—could not prove beyond doubt that Gasly was not speeding, especially once Monaco's temporary circuit had begun to be dismantled. It also reasoned that rival teams had calibrated pit limiters to the same official benchmark and stayed within it, so sporting fairness weighed against overturning the original penalties.

The FIA itself had defended Alpine's earlier successful review before the court. The panel ordered the FIA and Alpine to split the costs of the appeal process. For more odd sporting fallout stories, see BlasterPost's Bizarre News & Florida Man hub.

Why are McLaren and Alpine at odds after the ruling?

At Monza, Alpine executive Flavio Briatore claimed one appeal judge was "linked" with McLaren, citing a 2018 California charity event involving McLaren Special Operations cars. He named judge Filippo Marchino and said the panelist had acted "like a prosecutor." Briatore offered no evidence; Alpine declined further comment.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella called the remarks "insulting" and said serious allegations carry responsibility. The FIA court stated judges disclose interests, sign independence declarations per case, and that no party objected to the panel before or after the hearing. It reaffirmed confidence in the judges' integrity and the court's independence from the wider FIA.