Pierre Gasly has his Monaco trophy on the shelf, his feet up, and a very satisfied smile on his face. The only problem? The result that trophy represents is still being contested in the courts. Welcome to the most chaotic podium dispute in recent Formula 1 memory.
Trophy Delivered, Verdict Pending
Over two weeks after the Monaco Grand Prix, Gasly finally received the third-place trophy following what became a quietly awkward standoff. Isack Hadjar had been standing on that podium, holding that trophy, and celebrating his first top-three finish with Red Bull. Then Alpine‘s Right of Review overturned the whole thing, and the silverware had to change hands.
Hadjar had cheekily joked he was not giving it back. But give it back he did.
Gasly, characteristically understated, marked the occasion on Instagram:
“[The] Monaco trophy found its way home!!! Happyyyy day, happy life!!” – Pierre Gasly
The Blunder That Started All of This
The backstory is one of F1’s more embarrassing administrative failures. Gasly crossed the line third in Monaco but was penalised twice for pit lane speeding and dropped to seventh. Alpine contested both penalties and produced evidence that the timing loop used to measure pit lane speed had a calibration error of 77 centimetres. FOM admitted the mistake. The stewards reversed Gasly’s penalties and restored his podium.
The problem, as McLaren and Red Bull were quick to flag, is that other drivers including Oscar Piastri and Hadjar had already served their own pit lane speed penalties during the race. Those penalties were not reversed. You can see why that stings. Both teams have since launched formal appeals with the FIA International Court of Appeal, and the Monaco result technically remains unofficial.
Mercedes Thought Better of It
Mercedes briefly entered the circus, filing a Right of Review over penalties that cost George Russell heavily in Monaco. Then, just as quietly, they withdrew it. Whether that was legal pragmatism, a read of the room, or simply cutting their losses is anyone’s guess. Either way, they are out.
A Happy Day With an Asterisk
Gasly now has six F1 career trophies, with three coming during his time at Alpine. He can enjoy this one for now. But with the Austrian GP already commanding its own headlines this weekend, the Monaco saga is far from its final chapter. The FIA court’s verdict could confirm the result, overturn it, or produce some novel outcome that nobody has quite anticipated yet.
For now, at least the trophy has found a more photogenic home. Whether it stays there is a different matter entirely.
