The FIA International Court of Appeal convened in Paris on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to hear appeals lodged by McLaren and Red Bull Racing. The hearing addressed the controversial decision to rescind pit-lane speeding penalties issued to Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella outlined the team’s ‘double intent’ behind the appeal. He stated the first aim was a broader concern for the fairness and integrity of the sport’s processes.
Stella emphasised that the procedure following the Monaco race required review for all competitors. The removal of Gasly’s penalty introduced significant elements of concern for McLaren.
The second aspect of McLaren’s appeal directly concerned their own interests. The team was materially penalised by serving an unappealable penalty, which ultimately cost them championship points.
The controversy originated from two five-second time penalties applied to Gasly for pit-lane speeding after the Monaco Grand Prix. These penalties initially demoted him from third to seventh place.
Alpine successfully appealed these sanctions through a ‘Right of Review’. They presented evidence of a technical malfunction in the pit-lane speed detection system.
It was confirmed that an error in the timing loop calculations had caused false positives, with the measurement system being out by 77cm. This new information led to Gasly’s podium reinstatement.
The key distinction for the appeal’s success was that Gasly’s penalties were applied post-race. This allowed Alpine to challenge them before they were formally served.
Conversely, other drivers, including McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ George Russell, and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, also received penalties for pit-lane speeding due to the same error.
These drivers served their penalties during the race, rendering them unappealable under current FIA regulations. This procedural disparity is central to the ongoing debate.
Red Bull Racing also joined McLaren in the appeal, as Gasly’s reinstatement moved their driver Isack Hadjar off the podium. Hadjar had inherited third place.
The FIA’s International Court of Appeal is expected to publish its decision as soon as possible following yesterday’s hearing. Until then, Gasly officially retains his third-place finish from Monaco.
