FIA sets date for McLaren and Red Bull’s Monaco appeal

McLaren and Red Bull will finally get their chance to challenge the FIA’s controversial decision to restore Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium, with the governing body confirming that their appeals will be heard next week.

The FIA’s International Court of Appeal is set to consider the case on Tuesday, August 25, just days after Formula 1 heads to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix. The hearing will take place behind closed doors at the FIA’s headquarters in Paris.

The dispute stems from the chaotic aftermath of this year’s Monaco race, where Gasly was initially classified seventh after receiving two time penalties for speeding in the pit lane.

Gasly’s podium restored

The Frenchman had originally finished third on the road, but his penalties dropped him behind Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri. Hadjar therefore appeared to have secured his maiden F1 podium for Red Bull, only for that result to be overturned when Alpine successfully exercised its right of appeal.

The FIA subsequently acknowledged that the pit-lane speed limit at Monaco had been incorrectly calculated. However, because other drivers had already served penalties for the same infringement during the race, the stewards were unable to retrospectively alter those sanctions.

Gasly was consequently reinstated to third place, while Hadjar was demoted to fourth and forced to hand his podium trophy back to his compatriot. Piastri, who had served his penalty during the race, remained fifth.

McLaren and Red Bull subsequently lodged appeals, arguing that overturning Gasly’s punishment created an unfair situation for competitors who had complied with the regulations and accepted their penalties at the time.

McLaren argues ‘sporting inequity’

The Woking team made the basis of its challenge clear in its statement:

"This case raises important questions concerning sporting fairness, regulatory consistency and the integrity of competition.

"Throughout the Monaco Grand Prix weekend – and in every event - all teams operated according to the regulations and established standard practices for what concerns 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."

The appeal hearing now promises to reopen one of the most contentious sporting disputes of the 2026 season, with the fate of Gasly’s Monaco podium – and the precedent set by the FIA’s ruling – once again hanging in the balance.

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