Mercedes drops George Russell penalty review after FIA admits Monaco timing errors were unfixable

Mercedes has confirmed it will not pursue a change to the Monaco Grand Prix results, withdrawing its Right of Review request after determining that overturning George Russell’s penalties was effectively impossible.

The FIA announced the withdrawal on Thursday, with Mercedes issuing a formal statement on Friday morning explaining that discussions with the FIA and Formula One Management had led the team to conclude that pressing ahead would deliver no positive outcome for either party.

The controversy stems from Alpine’s successful post-race challenge at Monaco, which proved that the two pitlane speeding penalties handed to Pierre Gasly were based on incorrect measurements. Formula One Management, the official timing systems supplier, admitted the data used in Monaco was flawed — a concession that triggered immediate questions about the four other drivers penalised for the same offence during the race, including Russell.

Russell’s situation was complicated by the fact that he received a drive-through penalty while attempting to serve his original punishment, a sequence that left him outside the points. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had already acknowledged publicly that the chances of reversing his driver’s result were slim, but the team submitted the review request during the Barcelona race weekend to preserve its legal position within the required time window.

“Following the decision to rescind Pierre Gasly’s time penalty, it was important for us to explore all available options to address the impact of George’s pitlane speeding penalty on his race result,” Mercedes said in its statement. “We had a limited time window in which to apply for the Right of Review during the race weekend in Barcelona, and did so in order to reserve our position in this regard.”

A hearing had been scheduled for Saturday 20 June before Mercedes pulled its submission. The team confirmed that conversations with the FIA and FOM made clear that cancelling Russell’s drive-through — or securing any form of sporting compensation — was not a viable path.

“Our subsequent collaborative discussion with FIA and Formula One has shown their determination to review the unique circumstances arising from the Monaco Grand Prix and to proactively address” the broader issues raised, the statement continued.

The episode leaves Russell without redress for a race in which faulty timing equipment contributed to a penalty that effectively ended his afternoon, while Gasly’s reinstatement to third place stands as the sole correction to the Monaco results.