Mercedes granted Monaco GP review by FIA - but expects defeat

The FIA has agreed to formally hear Mercedes’ request for a "right of review" regarding the severe pit-lane speeding penalty that derailed George Russell’s Monaco Grand Prix.

A Mercedes team representative is required to report to the stewards on Saturday, June 20, at 8:00 AM UK time for a virtual hearing.

The session will be conducted in two parts, with the initial phase strictly determining whether the team has brought forward a "significant and relevant new element" that was unavailable to the stewards when the initial decision was made.

The Alpine precedent and a timing anomaly

The push for a review comes after Alpine successfully won its own appeal, which saw Pierre Gasly reinstated to the Monaco podium.

Gasly had originally been handed two five-second time penalties for speeding in the pit lane, which were ultimately rescinded when Formula One Management (FOM) admitted to a technical anomaly in its official timing loops.

Russell was one of five drivers caught out by the suspect system during the Monaco weekend. However, the consequences for the British driver were uniquely compounding.

While he was initially given a standard five-second penalty, an operational blunder by the Mercedes pit wall meant the punishment was not correctly served during his stop. Under the regulations, this misstep forced the stewards to hand Russell a subsequent drive-through penalty.

This dropped Russell completely out of the point-scoring positions, dealing a major blow to his championship campaign. Russell currently sits third in the standings, trailing his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 50 points.

Mercedes later revealed that, without the timing error and subsequent pit wall confusion, Russell would have finished as high as fourth.

Wolff admits long odds for success

Speaking over the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff conceded that the team is realistic about its chances, recognizing the complex legal precedent a reversal would set.

"I have to be honest I’m not sure this is a realistic outcome because you open up a can of worms," Wolff said.

"Normally, if you have a stop-and-go and you didn’t do it it’s 20 seconds and then 20 seconds would put George back to P4," he explained, mapping out the mathematical justification for their case.

"But then what are all the other consequences? So I don’t think this is going to hold with the judges, but we have to do it for George’s benefit."

While the team remains highly skeptical that the stewards will rewrite the Monaco classification two weeks after the chequered flag, the underlying admission of a timing system failure by FOM ensures that Saturday morning's hearing will be closely watched across the paddock.

Read also: McLaren and Red Bull follow through with Monaco GP appeal

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