Why FIA rules meant six penalties for ‘rookie error’ at Monaco Grand Prix

The FIA’s pit-lane speed rules turned a small Monaco Grand Prix mistake into a major post-race story, with six penalties handed out after drivers exceeded the limit in the race.

George Russell was among the drivers punished for pit-lane speeding, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was hit twice under the same rule. Reuters reported that five drivers were found guilty of the offence, with Gasly receiving two separate five-second penalties.

The FIA’s 2026 penalty guidelines say that speeding in the pit lane during a race by less than 6 km/h carries a five-second penalty. That is what was applied in Monaco, where the penalty could be enough to change race positions after the fact.

For Gasly, the consequences were severe. Reuters reported that he was demoted from third on the road to seventh after the two penalties were applied. That left Alpine heartbroken after what had briefly looked like a podium finish.

Russell also lost ground after his pit-lane infringement. The FIA’s official Monaco event documents included the speeding infringement material, and Formula 1 later reported that Alpine requested a Right of Review from the FIA over the penalties.

The case shows how a narrow rule can carry an outsized effect in Monaco, where track position is hard to recover and even a five-second sanction can reshape the result.

What happens next

Alpine has asked the FIA to review the situation, but it is not yet clear whether the federation will accept the request or alter any result. For now, the penalties stand as applied in the official race documents.