Croft questions Monaco GP's wave of pitlane penalties: 'Something was a bit amiss'

David Croft has publicly questioned the legitimacy of the pitlane speeding penalties handed out during the Monaco Grand Prix, arguing the sheer volume of offences — many for margins as small as 0.1 km/h — points to a potential flaw in the timing system rather than deliberate rule-breaking by drivers.

Kimi Antonelli’s fifth consecutive victory of the season headlined the race around the streets of Monte Carlo, but the result was overshadowed by a wave of penalties that reshaped the finishing order. Among those affected were Pierre Gasly and George Russell, both of whom lost what would have been podium finishes.

“One speeding penalty is understandable. Two could be a little bit careless, and three would get Lady Bracknell reaching for her handbag,” Croft said. “On this one, I thought something was a bit amiss, to be honest.”

Croft added that he had been told race control shared similar concerns internally, though officials ultimately concluded their systems were functioning correctly. That explanation has not satisfied everyone in the paddock.

“I’m still a bit perplexed as to how so many drivers could get pinged for what essentially most of the time was 0.1 km/h,” Croft continued. “This doesn’t seem like a genuine attempt to gain a sporting advantage. It does seem from the outside that something might have been wrong with the timing.”

The situation has already prompted a formal response from Alpine, who have lodged a right of review appeal and claim to have new data demonstrating that their driver was not speeding. Croft said he was “absolutely fascinated” to see how that process unfolds.

The Monaco pitlane operates under a strict speed limit during safety car and pit-stop phases, with automated sensors measuring compliance. The unusually high number of violations in a single race has raised questions about whether the detection equipment or its calibration may have produced inaccurate readings — though no official finding to that effect has yet been made.

For Gasly in particular, the penalty was especially costly. A podium finish at Monaco carries significant prestige, and Croft suggested both he and Russell deserved to have been celebrating on Sunday night rather than reviewing stewards’ decisions.