Oscar Piastri ‘mind-blown’ by Pierre Gasly Monaco penalty reversal
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has described the decision to overturn Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix penalty as “astonishing” after a measurement error wrongly penalised multiple drivers.
Gasly was restored to third place in Sunday’s race after his Alpine team launched a successful appeal.
The French competitor had initially been demoted to seventh for speeding in the pit lane.
However, race stewards later admitted a measurement calculation error meant several competitors were incorrectly penalised despite driving within the 60km/h limit.
“I’m pretty mind-blown by the decision,”
Piastri stated.
“How you can reverse a decision that was ultimately wrong, but when other people have been penalised for the same thing and served a penalty in the race, how you can then change one penalty… is astonishing.”
Title race implications and looming appeals
The Australian racer was one of five competitors wrongly sanctioned, alongside George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto.
Russell suffered the most severe consequences, dropping from third to 12th after serving a subsequent drive-through penalty.
The Mercedes driver lost 15 crucial points in his championship battle with victorious team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari managed to protect Hamilton from significant damage by serving his penalty under the safety car.
The sport’s governing body reinstated Gasly, which subsequently dropped Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar off the podium and pushed Piastri down to fifth.
Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren have all signalled their intention to appeal against the controversial ruling.
Piastri expressed deep frustration over the impact the stewards’ inconsistency has had on the wider grid.
“I’ve obviously lost a position, but you can only imagine how George is feeling – so I could not believe my eyes,”
the former Formula 2 champion added.
