After the chaos, there is a looming aftermath: Formula 1 racing team Alpine has requested an official hearing from the FIA, at which the team wants to prove that Pierre Gasly did adhere to the speed limit in the pit lane. If the evidence is convincing enough, it could have far-reaching consequences for another driver.
Formula 1 racing team Alpine wants to use all available means to regain Pierre Gasly’s originally lost third place at the Monaco Grand Prix.
As the team and the world motorsport association FIA confirmed on Tuesday, the racing team has requested an official hearing at which they would like to present “significant and relevant” new information on the alleged speeding violations in the pit lane. This is the basis for being able to request the hearing at all. This will take place on Thursday at 1 p.m.
Why Alpine is appealing to the FIA
Gasly had originally crossed the finish line in third place on Sunday, but was demoted to seventh after picking up two five-second penalties for speeding in the pit lane. Once he is said to have exceeded the maximum permissible speed of 60 km/h by 0.1 km/h, and a second time by 0.4 km/h.
The catch is the measuring method used by the regulators: They measure the speed in the pit lane based on the time it takes a driver to cover a set distance. In Monaco, however, it’s not that easy because the pit lane is not a straight line, but a curve.
Numerous drivers shortened the route on Sunday by cutting the curve. They weren’t traveling too fast, says Alpine, but rather they just covered a slightly shorter route for which they needed slightly less time. As a result, they were “blitzed” even though they were not too fast.
Hadjar could lose his podium place
Although several drivers have received the same penalty, Alpine is the only racing team that wants to take official action against it. If the team is successful, Gasly could get his third place back at the green table. Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar would suffer more, as he would lose his podium place again.
Problem for Alpine: The new evidence must be rock-solid in order to be accepted by the FIA. This has been successful in individual cases in the past, but the majority of the hearings ended without success for the team.