Alpine’s Monaco GP speed data shows why they demanded a review of Pierre Gasly’s penalty

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It appears Alpine were in the right when they called for a review of Pierre Gasly’s pit lane penalty after the Monaco Grand Prix.

After race officials handed Gasly what turned out to be a second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, Alpine and Gasly invoked their right to review the decision after the Monaco Grand Prix.

This decision is understandable, as Gasly would have celebrated a podium at Monaco were it not for this penalty, allowing Isack Hadjar to earn a P3 finish.

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Alpine are set to meet with officials tomorrow in Barcelona, and are hoping that the decision will be overturned in Pierre Gasly’s favour.

And there is a reason the team are confident about their chances to win this appeal, as their data suggests they didn’t commit any infraction.

READ MORE: Pierre Gasly says F1 drivers must be ‘smart’ with divisive qualifying issue due to 2026 regulations

Alpine and other teams’ speed data shows they didn’t exceed pit lane speed limit

According to Scott Mitchell-Malm of The Race, officials believed that Gasly exceeded the 60 km/h speed limit in the pit lane by 0.1 km/h and 0.4 km/h, respectively, across his two penalties.

However, Alpine, along with many other teams that saw their drivers incur pit lane speeding penalties, had their data reflecting that they were just at the speed limit of 60 km/h.

On top of that, there is a belief within the team that the angling of the pit lane entry and exits could impact the measurement of the pit lane distance, and thus determine whether the driver was speeding.

According to Autosport Web, one speculated reason for this measurement discrepancy is the addition of Cadillac to Formula 1, necessitating the addition of two new garages in the pit lane.

As a result of these additions, the white line on the left side, where drivers are meant to merge back onto the track, is further inside the pit lane than it was last year.

Even if these arguments hold any merit, it is unlikely that the FIA will reverse their decision, as despite several teams receiving penalties for speeding in the pit lane, Alpine are the only team to invoke their right to review.

READ MORE: Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon still ‘don’t speak to each other’ 18 years after falling out

Pierre Gasly desperately needs Monaco Grand Prix podium to turn his fortunes around

It’s understandable why Alpine and Gasly would be so vehement in their push to get the officials’ decision overturned.

Coming into the Monaco Grand Prix, Gasly had seemingly lost his rhythm after a strong start this season, with his teammate, Franco Colapinto, outperforming him in the last two races.

Colapinto’s form had put Gasly under pressure coming into last weekend, and a podium finish would have given him a major momentum boost.

Even with the penalty, Gasly had one of his best performances of the season in Monaco, and could try and build on that performance in Barcelona this weekend.