How a 77 cm Timing Error Cost Pierre Gasly the Monaco GP Podium

Gasly’s was not an isolated case. Five drivers across four teams were penalized for pit-lane speeding in the same race—Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly (twice), and Franco Colapinto—making it the most penalized Monaco Grand Prix in recent memory .

The 77 cm error that triggered the scandal

The root cause was a calibration fault in the Formula One Management timing system. The distance between the two magnetic timing loops used to calculate pit-lane speed was measured incorrectly. A post-event LIDAR scan revealed the shortest possible distance a car could travel between the loops was 77 cm longer than what the FOM system had assumed . Because cars covered less physical distance than the system calculated, their speed was artificially inflated by roughly 0.1 km/h .

Five of the six speeding offences during the race were clocked at exactly 0.1 km/h over the limit—a statistical anomaly that strongly suggested a systemic error rather than driver error . The FIA stewards later acknowledged that race control had been asked during the grand prix whether the system might be faulty and had been incorrectly reassured that it was fine .

How Alpine won the Right of Review

Alpine acted quickly, lodging a request for a Right of Review under the FIA International Sporting Code. To succeed, a team must present “a significant and relevant new element” of evidence that was unavailable at the time of the original decision .

Alpine’s submission included two decisive pieces of evidence: the LIDAR survey data proving the loop distance discrepancy, and official timekeeper reports confirming the measurement error . Crucially, Formula One Management admitted the system was inaccurate ahead of the FIA hearing, clearing the path for the stewards to overturn the penalties . The stewards formally rescinded both five-second sanctions and restored Gasly to third place .

The ripple effect: who wins and who loses

The revised results immediately shook the order behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and second-placed Lewis Hamilton .

• Pierre Gasly moved from seventh to third, earning his first podium since the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix.
• Isack Hadjar was demoted from third to fourth, losing his first Red Bull podium.
• Oscar Piastri fell from fourth to fifth .
• Drivers further down the order—including Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad—lost a position each as the field reshuffled.

Hadjar had already survived a separate post-race investigation for an alleged red-flag infringement, but that case was unrelated to the timing loop error .

Red Bull and McLaren fight back

Within hours of the FIA’s decision, both Red Bull Racing and McLaren lodged formal notice of intention to appeal to the International Court of Appeal—the highest judicial body in motorsport .

Their arguments are not about their own penalties. Instead, they are challenging the stewards’ decision to rescind Gasly’s sanctions . Red Bull’s motivation is clear: Hadjar loses a trophy. McLaren is similarly impacted, as Piastri’s finishing position drops. Both teams have until the Tuesday after the Barcelona weekend to firm up their full appeals . Mercedes is also evaluating its legal options over the precedent the decision sets, though it has not yet filed an appeal notice .

Why Hamilton, Piastri, and Russell are stuck with their penalties

The most contentious outcome of the review is that only Gasly’s penalties were overturned. The four other drivers who were penalized for identical 0.1 km/h infractions—Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, and Franco Colapinto—remain punished.

Alpine was the only team to file a Right of Review within the required 14-day window and with qualifying new evidence . The stewards explicitly ruled that the other teams—Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Williams—cannot use the same mechanism now because the deadline has passed and the “new evidence” threshold applies only to the specific case Alpine presented .

Complicating Russell’s situation further is the drive-through penalty he received for failing to serve his original five-second penalty correctly during a pit stop, which was a procedural error independent of the timing loop fault .

What happens next in the Monaco GP saga

The Monaco Grand Prix result is not yet final. If Red Bull or McLaren proceed to a full ICA appeal and win, Gasly could lose his podium for a second time. If they lose, the current classification stands. Alpine has indicated it would contest any counter-appeal, and Mercedes could yet enter the legal fray .

What began as a 0.1 km/h over-limit measurement in the pit lane has become one of the defining regulatory moments of the 2026 Formula 1 season.