Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren receive outside support as Gasly row sparks ‘mess’
Pierre Gasly was penalised for speeding in the Monaco pit lane
James Vowles has backed Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull’s attempts to overturn Pierre Gasly’s restored Monaco podium.
The Williams team principal has warned that Formula 1 is now facing a “mess” of its own making.
James Vowles supports Monaco podium appeals
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Four teams were penalised for speeding in the pit lane at the Monaco Grand Prix, but while Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Oscar Piastri served their penalties during the race, Alpine decided not to pit.
That opened the door for the team to lodge a Right of Review, which it did for Gasly’s two penalties. The Frenchman had crossed in third place before his two five-second penalties dropped him to seventh, elevating Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar onto the podium.
Alpine was successful in its appeal, as a key detail emerged that Formula One Management’s measurement of a timing loop in the pit lane was incorrect. Gasly was reinstated into third.
The decision raised eyebrows in the paddock as Russell, Hamilton and Piastri had all been affected by the incorrect timing loop.
Mercedes and McLaren have both lodged a petition for Review, as has Red Bull, who lost third place in the classification.
More on the Monaco GP penalty controversy
The Monaco GP anomaly: How a pit lane penalty exposed Formula 1’s fractured governance
Pierre Gasly hits back at rivals over Monaco podium appeal row
Williams team principal Vowles has thrown his support behind the trio.
“Here’s my view on it, it is not the first time it has happened,” Vowles told Sky Sports F1.
“In Singapore, when I was with a different team, exactly the same thing happened, where you can shortcut the pit lane. If you watch on-board, you’ll see they are not driving in the white lines; they’re driving across the white lines, so you’ve shortened the distance.
“If you look back at Monaco, we received a speeding fine on Friday, had a look into it and went: ‘Ah, this is what happened, and we tuned down our speed limit as a result of it because that is the regulation.
“Nobody tunes their pit-lane speed limit to 60kph, it is always below that, and my advice to anyone is to drive on Friday and Saturday the same way you are going to drive on Sunday, don’t change your line, which is going to catch you out.
“I’m surprised we have the reinstatement [of Gasly’s podium], but being frank, it doesn’t really affect us, but I think it creates a bit of a mess now.
“What do you do with George? What do you do with Piastri, who, in those circumstances, should have been on the podium as a result?
“That’s the mess I don’t feel comfortable about.”
Asked about Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull appealing, he replied: “I would support them in that.”
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Martin Brundle on Monaco penalty ‘mess’ as Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren take action
