Mercedes Withdraws Monaco Right of Review on Eve of FIA Hearing
Mercedes filed a Right of Review with the FIA on June 12 over George Russell's Monaco GP pit-lane penalties, following Alpine's successful challenge that reinstated Pierre Gasly's podium. A virtual hearing was scheduled for June 20, but the FIA confirmed on Thursday evening that Mercedes had withdrawn the petition before the hearing took place.
The Monaco pit-lane penalty chain
Pierre Gasly's Monaco Grand Prix podium was initially taken from him after he was handed two separate five-second time penalties for speeding in the pit lane, demoting him from third to seventh at the chequered flag. [1]
The Monaco race stewards met with representatives from Alpine and the FIA in a video conference on Thursday. Alpine presented evidence that the stewards agreed was a "significant and relevant new element" regarding an incorrect distance calculation in the pit lane, and Gasly's penalties were overturned. [1] Formula One Management acknowledged that the timing system had been set up incorrectly, leading stewards to rescind both penalties and restore Gasly to third place. [2]
Russell's compounded penalties
Gasly was one of five drivers, including Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Alpine's Franco Colapinto, and Mercedes' George Russell, who received five-second time penalties for pit-lane speeding. [5] Russell was hit with a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, but was then handed a drive-through penalty after the original punishment was not correctly served, causing him to drop out of the points and marking a significant setback to his title hopes. [6]
Crucially, Gasly's penalties were applied after the race rather than during it, as was the case with Russell's. Under F1 regulations, stewards do not have the power to undo a penalty that has already been served. [6]
Mercedes lodges a Right of Review
A document published by the FIA on Wednesday confirmed that Mercedes had lodged a Right of Review petition regarding the decision made by the Monaco stewards following Alpine's successful challenge. [2] An FIA document released on June 17 confirmed that the petition was filed under Article 14.1.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code on June 12, with a team representative required to report to stewards on Saturday June 20 at 09:00 CEST via virtual video conference. [3]
The hearing was set to take place via video conference and would present Mercedes with a two-part challenge: the team would first need to prove it had a "significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the stewards at the time of the decision," and if it cleared that hurdle a standard hearing would then follow. [3]
Withdrawal on the eve of the hearing
The FIA had announced on Wednesday that the first stage of the Right of Review would be held on Saturday morning, but on Thursday evening the FIA announced that Mercedes' request had been withdrawn. [5]
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had already described the effort as "a long shot," saying: "We wrote to the FIA for a right of review as well. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is a realistic outcome because you open up a can of worms." [4]
:::analysis The Right of Review procedure, as Wolff's public framing suggested, was always a structurally difficult route for Mercedes. A penalty that was converted into a drive-through and physically served during the race occupies a fundamentally different regulatory category from a post-race time addition. The stewards' own verdict on Gasly acknowledged the asymmetry between served and unserved penalties, making it hard for Mercedes to find qualifying "new evidence" rather than simply a new argument. Withdrawing before the admissibility stage is reached avoids an on-record rejection that could weaken any future procedural positions. Meanwhile McLaren and Red Bull have both lodged notifications of appeal with the FIA International Court of Appeal, meaning the Monaco result remains in procedural flux heading into the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. :::
[1]: formula1.com, "Gasly regains Monaco GP podium after Right of Review," June 12, 2026. [2]: motorsport.com, "Mercedes granted FIA hearing over George Russell's Monaco F1 penalty," June 2026. [3]: planetf1.com, "Mercedes petition FIA over Pierre Gasly Monaco GP penalty controversy," June 2026. [4]: skysports.com, "Monaco GP: Mercedes request right of review of race result after Pierre Gasly podium reinstatement," June 2026. [5]: skysports.com, "Monaco GP: Mercedes withdraw appeal of Pierre Gasly podium reinstatement following speeding penalty controversy," June 19, 2026. [6]: the-race.com / crash.net, "Mercedes gets hearing date over Monaco penalty U-turn," June 2026.
Related reading
- [1]Gasly regains Monaco GP podium after Right of Review (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [2]Mercedes granted FIA hearing over George Russell's Monaco F1 penalty (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [3]Mercedes petition FIA over Pierre Gasly Monaco GP penalty controversy (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [4]Monaco GP: Mercedes request right of review of race result after Pierre Gasly podium reinstatement (skysports). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [5]Monaco GP: Mercedes withdraw appeal of Pierre Gasly podium reinstatement following speeding penalty controversy (skysports). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [6]Mercedes gets hearing date over Monaco penalty U-turn (the-race). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [7]Pierre Gasly's Monaco GP penalty rescinded: FIA stewards report in full (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-19.