Mercedes joins Monaco penalty fight with FIA review request
Originally published by F1i
The Monaco Grand Prix may be two races in the rear-view mirror, but its fallout is still sending shockwaves through the Formula 1 paddock.
Just when it seemed Pierre Gasly’s restored podium finish had brought the matter to a close, Mercedes has thrown another twist into the saga by officially launching a right of review request over George Russell’s result.
The move comes after days simmering frustration following the FIA’s decision to overturn Gasly’s pitlane speeding penalty, a ruling that elevated the Alpine driver back onto the Monaco podium and reopened questions about how the penalties were calculated in the first place.
Mercedes wants a seat at the table
While McLaren and Red Bull opted to lodge notices of intent to appeal Gasly’s reinstatement, Mercedes has chosen a different route.
Toto Wolff’s team believes the evidence that helped Alpine win its case could also have implications for Russell, who was penalised for the same pitlane speeding infringement during the Monaco weekend.
The crux of Mercedes’ argument centres on revelations that emerged during Alpine’s successful challenge. Formula One Management acknowledged that the pitlane measurements used in Monaco were not entirely accurate, while the FIA ultimately accepted that drivers could legally travel a shorter distance than originally factored into the calculations.
Mercedes contends that those findings, combined with the overturning of Gasly’s penalty, amount to significant new evidence that was unavailable when Russell’s punishment was originally handed down.
“And on the Gasly thing, yes, we've asked for a right of review because we just simply want to sit on the table when decisions are being made,” team boss Toto Wolff said in Barcelona.
Long odds, but Mercedes is pushing ahead
The process is far from straightforward. Before any review can proceed, stewards must first determine whether the information presented by Mercedes is genuinely new, relevant and significant enough to justify reopening the case.
Both Mercedes and the FIA have now confirmed that the process has been initiated, although the formal procedure has yet to begin as additional documentation still needs to be submitted.
Even Mercedes acknowledges the challenge ahead.
Unlike Gasly, whose 10-second time penalty could simply be removed from the final classification, Russell’s case is complicated by the fact that he ultimately served a drive-through penalty after failing to take the original five-second sanction.
That distinction could prove decisive. Still, with rival teams circling the FIA over Monaco’s controversial verdict, Mercedes appears unwilling to stay on the sidelines.
Whether Russell's result changes or not, Wolff's squad is making one thing clear: if Monaco's story isn't finished, they intend to be part of the final chapter.
Read also: Red Bull and McLaren set to appeal FIA’s Gasly Monaco verdict