Mercedes are understood to be "livid" following the FIA's decision to overturn Pierre Gasly's Monaco Grand Prix penalty after acknowledging a timing measurement fault in the pit lane.
The Alpine driver has had his third-place finish reinstated, yet George Russell finds himself without any remedy despite receiving an identical sanction based on the same flawed system.
Both McLaren and Red Bull have signalled their intention to challenge the ruling, with the situation rapidly becoming farcical.
Russell bore the brunt of the Monaco chaos. After being penalised for allegedly exceeding the 60kmph pit lane limit, Mercedes failed to serve his five-second penalty correctly, resulting in a drive-through that saw him plummet from third position to 13th.
George Russell finds himself without any remedy despite receiving an identical sanction based on the same flawed system
|REUTERS
The FIA has now confirmed an error in the measurement system supplied by Formula One Management.
The root cause of the debacle lies in physical changes made to the Monaco circuit. Barriers at the pit entry and near the second timing loop were modified between the 2025 and 2026 seasons, potentially allowing drivers to take a significantly shorter path than previously possible.
The official timekeeper had configured the first timing zone using a measurement of 2,692 centimetres. However, post-race LIDAR scans revealed the actual shortest distance between the first and second loops was just 2,615 centimetres.
This 77-centimetre discrepancy proved critical. All six alleged speeding offences occurred within this first zone, where the incorrect distance calculation artificially inflated the recorded speeds of passing cars.
Mercedes and other teams had flagged concerns about the system during practice sessions, warning officials that something appeared amiss.
Pierre Gasly has been boosted back up to P3 | REUTERSThe consequences for Russell's championship aspirations are severe. Having lost an estimated 15 points in Monaco, compounded by his retirement in Canada, the British driver now trails teammate Kimi Antonelli by 68 points in the standings.
Russell expressed his frustration before the stewards delivered their verdict.
"It would be a real... or another kick in the balls if it does get overturned because I was trying to plead with the FIA not to take the drive-through and to give me the penalty retrospectively," he said.
The Mercedes driver explained that his team had taken precautions, believing they were travelling at approximately 59kmph, yet the system registered 60.1kmph.
"We'd already seen there was an issue in practice," Russell added. "At the moment it just feels like one thing after another."
McLaren and Red Bull have lodged appeals against the FIA's decision, with Isack Hadjar dropping to fourth and Oscar Piastri falling to fifth following Gasly's reinstatement.
George Russell suffered from technical failures and team errors at the Monaco Grand Prix | REUTERSThe stewards acknowledged they possess no authority to reverse penalties already served during a race. Their report stated there is "no regulation that gives the stewards the power to 'undo' a served penalty," adding that it would be "impossible to imagine how such power could be applied."
Gasly welcomed the ruling, speaking to Canal+ at the Barcelona paddock.
"I was extremely happy," the Frenchman said.
"It's certainly a bit unusual to celebrate a podium finish on the Friday of the next Grand Prix, but I think it's the right decision."
Alpine thanked the FIA and Formula One Management for their "transparency and cooperation."