McLaren and Red Bull have officially expressed their intent to appeal the reinstatement of Pierre Gasly back to the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. This decision came after Alpine successfully overturned Gasly's two speeding penalties by presenting new evidence regarding an incorrect distance calculation in the pit lane.

On Friday, Gasly was reinstated to third place, which pushed Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and McLaren's Oscar Piastri down to fourth and fifth, respectively. The appeal process allows teams a one-hour window to notify the FIA of their intentions, with a further 96 hours to file an official appeal.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented on the situation, indicating that Mercedes would like the FIA to explore possible remedies for George Russell, who was also penalized during the race. Russell, after a late red flag, fell from third to 12th due to a failure to serve his five-second penalty correctly, leading to a more severe drive-through penalty.

Wolff noted:

• “A drive-through... is equivalent to 20 seconds race time.”
• “We are assessing what the Gasly situation does for George.”

The Monaco incident has raised questions about the consistency of pit lane speed calculations, with both McLaren and Red Bull highlighting the potential discrepancies that teams must manage.

As the situation unfolds, Wolff emphasized the implications for Russell in the Drivers' Championship, where he now trails teammate Kimi Antonelli by a significant 68 points. He expressed disappointment over the circumstances, stating, “It would have been a totally different outcome for his race.”

Mercedes continues to evaluate their options while remaining aware of the timing constraints involved.