Why did Mercedes walk away from its George Russell Monaco appeal?

Mercedes has explained why it has decided to drop its right of review petition related to George Russell’s penalties at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The British driver was given two separate penalties during the race in Monte Carlo, resulting in him finishing outside the points.

Mercedes explains George Russell Monaco appeal withdrawal

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Russell was one of five drivers to be given a time penalty for pitlane speeding during the Monaco Grand Prix, but the Mercedes driver failed to serve this initial penalty correctly, due to miscommunication between the pitcrew and pitwall that resulted in Russell having his wheels changed before the five-second penalty was served.

This led to him being given a drive-through penalty, which he served in the closing laps of the race after a Safety Car intervention, dooming him to finish outside the points.

However, following the race, Alpine lodged a right of review petition for Pierre Gasly. He had finished third on the road but was given a time penalty for pitlane speeding – the FIA stewards had questioned whether the data being received from Race Control was accurate, given the multiple breaches being detected, but were reassured the data was correct.

Alpine was successful in getting its right of review heard, with the FIA stewards’ documentation revealing that there had been a discrepancy in the length of one of the timing loops in the pitlane, leading to multiple breaches of the pitlane speed limit without any of the penalised drivers necessarily having actually done so.

With the FIA being an end user of timing systems supplied by FOM, it has led to a messy situation, as the documentation confirmed that, given the breaches detected during the Monaco Grand Prix were almost all a uniform 60.1km/h, not all the breaches may have been genuine, as Alpine was able to successfully prove.

However, with Alpine having been able to lodge a successful right of review due to the timing of Gasly’s penalty – he had not served any penalty by the chequered flag – some of the other teams affected by penalties have opted to take action.

Both Red Bull and McLaren have lodged appeals against the race results. Oscar Piastri was one driver to be given a penalty, while both he and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished between Gasly’s third and seventh-place finishes.

Mercedes opted to lodge a right of review, given that the stewards’ explanation and the issuing of a new race classification could be submitted as the required new and relevant information that could have resulted in getting past the first requirements of the process.

The Brackley-based squad withdrew its right of review appeal on Thursday, following the Barcelona Grand Prix, with the FIA releasing a document to confirm the withdrawal.

Folowing on from Wolff’s reveal that Mercedes was assessing all its legal options pertaining to the events of Monaco, it’s understood that Mercedes embarked on a series of discussions with the FIA and FOM to understand what the chances of a remedy being found would have been, with the squad said to have been reassured by the receptiveness of both bodies in ensuring a repeat of the anomalous conditions never occurs again.

On Friday morning, Mercedes released a statement confirming that pushing ahead with further action regarding the result would be of no benefit to anyone, given the unique nature of the problem that Monaco uncovered.

“We can confirm that we have withdrawn our Right of Review submission relating to the penalties received and served by George Russell during the Monaco Grand Prix,” the statement said.

“Following the decision to rescind Pierre Gasly’s time penalty, it was important for us to explore all available options to address the impact of George’s pitlane speeding penalty on his race result.

“We had a limited time window in which to apply for the Right of Review during the race weekend in Barcelona, and did so in order to reserve our position in this regard.

“Our subsequent collaborative discussion with FIA and Formula One has shown their determination to review the unique circumstances arising from the Monaco Grand Prix and to proactively address the factors that caused them.

“In the face of this clear determination, we have concluded that further pursuit of our Right of Review application will not serve our team or the sport, and thus we have withdrawn our submission.”

With the commercial rights holder, FOM, being in charge of the administration of the timing systems, a key component in the regulatory process, Wolff ruled out the possibility that such a scenario represents a conflict of interest.

“No, I think there is no point in that; they have been doing this for many years, and there would never be any problems,” he said, in response to a question from PlanetF1.com.

“We are all aligned here. We don’t want these things to happen, mistakes can happen, and there’s no conflict of interest, it’s just we’re in this sport altogether between the FIA, the teams, the drivers, no problem for me.”

At the time of writing, both Red Bull and McLaren’s appeals against the results remain in place.

More on the Monaco Grand Prix penalty situation

The Monaco GP anomaly: How a pit lane penalty exposed Formula 1’s fractured governance

Pierre Gasly’s Monaco podium restored as Alpine win right of review

While Red Bull has not issued a statement, McLaren has done so, revealing that a formal notification of appeal with the FIA International Court of Appeal has been lodged.

“While we fully respect the FIA’s judicial processes and the role of the Stewards, we believe this case raises important questions concerning sporting fairness, regulatory consistency, and the integrity of competition,” read the statement.

“Throughout the Monaco Grand Prix weekend – and in every event – all teams operated according to the regulations and established standard practices concerning the speed limit in the pit lane as they were applied at the time. Competitors adjusted their procedures accordingly and, where required, accepted and served penalties imposed under those regulations.

“In our view, the subsequent removal of penalties creates a situation in which some competitors are disadvantaged by having acted in accordance with the rules and the Stewards’ decisions. Such an outcome risks creating sporting inequity and undermining confidence in the consistent application of the FIA Sporting Regulations.

“Our decision to appeal is not directed at any competitor. Rather, it reflects our belief that the Championship benefits from regulations that are applied consistently, transparently, and fairly to all participants.

“McLaren remains committed to working constructively with the FIA, Formula One, and fellow competitors to protect the integrity of the sport and maintain confidence in its regulatory framework.”

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