Mercedes seek right of review on Gasly penalty U-turn

Mercedes have requested a right of review after Formula One stewards carried out a penalty U-turn and reinstated Alpine's Pierre Gasly to third place ‌at this month's Monaco Grand Prix. The Frenchman had finished third on ​the road, moving ⁠up after others were penalised, but two post-race ‌five-second penalties for pitlane speeding ‌dropped him to seventh.

Five drivers collected penalties in Monaco for the offence but the others did not have them overturned, either because they were served during ‌the race or were not appealed.

McLaren and Red Bull plan to appeal ⁠and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said Mercedes, who consulted lawyers on Friday, had taken action.

"Yes, we've asked for a right of review because we just simply want to be sitting on (at) the table when decisions are being made," said the Austrian, who added that he still thought it was ​likely to be a long shot.

Mercedes' George Russell might have been ‌on the podium had he not been penalised, with the Briton initially handed a five-second penalty and then incurring a drive-through penalty when the team failed ⁠to serve the first sanction correctly at a pitstop.

Alpine's Pierre Gasly ahead of practice and qualifying. Reuters

The time lost in the drive-through dropped Russell out of the points.

"Normally if you have a drive-through penalty and ​you don't ‌do it, it's 20 seconds (added post-race) and those 20 seconds would ‌put George back to P4," Wolff told Sky Sports television.

"But what are all the other consequences? I don't think this will hold with the judges but we have ‌to do it ‌for George's benefit."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri, another ⁠of those penalised, said it was a tough call. "I’m pretty ‌mind blown by the decision, because how you can reverse a decision -- that was ultimately wrong -- when other people have been ⁠penalised for the same thing and served the penalty in ​the race," said the Australian.

"How you can then change one penalty, knowing that probably five or six other races have been impacted ⁠by that, is astonishing."

Reuters