Oscar Piastri ‘mind blown’ by Gasly Monaco penalty reversal

Oscar Piastri believes the FIA stewards’ decision to rescind Pierre Gasly’s Monaco penalties has pulled F1 into murky waters.

Gasly’s third-place finish in Monaco was restored following a successful right of review process carried out by the Alpine team.

Oscar Piastri questions FIA ruling after Gasly Monaco penalty reversal

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Gasly finished third on the road in Monaco, but was demoted to seventh at the chequered flag following the imposition of two separate five-second time penalties given to him by the FIA stewards for speeding in the pitlane.

The French driver was one of five drivers to be given at least one penalty for the transgression but, unlike the others, did not serve his penalty during the race under a pitstop due to how late they were imposed.

Instead, he crossed the line in third and was dropped back upon the time being added on, but this ultimately opened the door for Alpine to kick off the right of review process.

With the official timekeeper, which is supplied and managed by Formula One Management with the FIA stewards using the data from the systems to inform their decisions, admitting that a measurement mistake had been made due to a miscalculated distance in the entry zone timing loops of the pitlane, the stewards’ documents also admitted that there was the possibility that the other breaches during the race may not have been genuine.

This was of scant comfort for the likes of George Russell and Oscar Piastri, with the Mercedes driver ultimately finishing outside the points as he was given a drive-through penalty for failing to serve the initial penalty correctly, while the Australian came into the pits specifically to serve his penalty and get it over and done with.

PlanetF1.com learned on Friday of the Barcelona Grand Prix that McLaren and Red Bull have indicated an intent to appeal the stewards’ decision to rescind the penalties, with Isack Hadjar having dropped to fourth and Piastri dropping to fifth.

Speaking after qualifying on Saturday, Piastri explained that he didn’t believe the decision to rescind is the correct one.

“I’m pretty mind blown by the decision, because how you can reverse a decision – that was ultimately wrong – but, when other people have been penalised for the same thing and served the penalty in the race,” he told assembled media, including PlanetF1.com.

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

“So, I’ve obviously lost the position, but I can only imagine how George is feeling, so I could not believe my eyes when I saw that.”

More on the Pierre Gasly penalty

Monaco GP controversy far from over as Pierre Gasly verdict sparks fallout

Gasly podium under new threat as rivals prepare to appeal

Put to him that unpicking the race could be complicated, given that he could have been classified in third himself had he not had the penalty, Piastri explained that it was even more complex than that.

“I lost the position to Pierre because I served the penalty, so technically I should be P3!” he wryly smiled.

“But then, technically, George should be P3 and the whole thing is now a mess; it’s quite the predicament they’ve got themselves into, and I don’t know how you get yourself out of that one.

“Now the precedent, as it is, is you don’t serve the penalty, you take it to court, wait probably a few months to decide the race, and who the hell wants to go racing like that? So perplexed is the word I will use.”

Given that there is no obvious answer that can placate everybody, now that a mistake has been admitted to, Piastri paused when asked by PlanetF1.com whether there is a fair and equitable solution possible.

“I think before you could kind of say ‘bad luck, it was wrong’, but it was wrong for everybody, and everyone was treated the same,” he said.

“Now, it’s very, very murky how you judge that. So, obviously, I don’t think the race result will be canceled, but yes, it’s quite the situation that’s unfolded.”

McLaren, and Red Bull, have until Tuesday, 96 hours after the stewards’ verdict, to lodge an appeal against the rescinding, with team boss Andrea Stella not being drawn too much on the topic when he spoke to the media after qualifying.

“We have already launched an intention to appeal,” he said.

“We will use the time that we have available, and we will confirm or not confirm the intention to appeal, but for the moment I would refrain from commenting too much other than saying that this is a very complex case, and we do feel that we should consider appealing.”

Meanwhile, Mercedes is also pondering its next course of action, if any, following Toto Wolff’s reveal that the team is examining “all its options”, including legal, in seeking a resolution for the penalty meted out to George Russell – a penalty that was served for an offence that, according to the official documents, may not have been a genuine breach.

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