Red Bull's Mekies demands clarity after Gasly podium reinstatement strips Hadjar of Monaco third place

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has called for greater clarity over race results after Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium was reinstated, stripping rookie Isack Hadjar of the third place he had briefly held in Monte Carlo. The reversal followed a successful Right of Review launched by Alpine, which provided evidence that Gasly had not been speeding in the pitlane — evidence the stewards said had not been available to them at the time of the original ruling.

Multiple drivers were penalised for allegedly speeding in the pitlane during the Monaco Grand Prix. Most served their penalties during the race itself, but Gasly did not, meaning his time penalty was applied after the chequered flag. That dropped the Frenchman from third to seventh, temporarily elevating Hadjar to the podium. When Alpine’s Right of Review succeeded and Gasly’s result was restored, Hadjar, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell were among those affected.

Speaking during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at Barcelona-Catalunya, Mekies said: “First, I hope Isack enjoys the right first podium with us in Monaco, because he drove very well there. I think we are a bit confused, not so much because you lose the podium or you win the podium. We are a bit confused because at the end of the day, we are talking about non-appealable penalties, and you are racing around cars that are receiving non-appealable penalties, and you adapt your racing also to that.”

Mekies stressed that his concern extended beyond Red Bull’s own competitive interests. “I think it is very important for the fans that we get moving forward with the right clarity about the race result at the time when the race is finishing,” he said.

The stewards acknowledged the wider consequences of their original ruling in their reinstatement statement, noting that some penalised drivers had served their penalties on track, which “regrettably impacted their race strategies and therefore their race result.”

Following the reinstatement, both McLaren and Red Bull indicated their intent to launch a formal appeal, while Mercedes confirmed it was in discussions with its lawyers over the matter. The episode has reignited debate about the consistency and finality of in-race and post-race penalty procedures in Formula 1.