Mercedes release statement on withdrawing Monaco podium appeal

Already on Thursday, the FIA had confirmed that Mercedes had informed the stewards of its decision to withdraw the petition for review concerning the ruling issued during the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix over an alleged breach of Article B1.6.3a: "The Stewards have been informed by Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team that they are withdrawing the petition for Review in respect of the decisions of the Stewards of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, breach of Article B1.6.3a of the FIA F1 Regulations in relation to Car 63."

Mercedes now disclosed that it had initially explored every available avenue to mitigate the impact of Russell's pit lane speeding penalty on his final result, particularly after Pierre Gasly's time penalty was overturned.

With only a limited window available to submit the request during the Barcelona race weekend, Mercedes chose to proceed in order to preserve its options. However, following discussions with the FIA and Formula One, the team became convinced that the governing bodies were committed to reviewing the unusual circumstances that arose in Monaco and addressing the factors that contributed to them. As a result, Mercedes concluded that continuing to pursue the review would not be in the best interests of either the team or the sport, leading to the withdrawal of the submission.

With Mercedes now out of the process, McLaren and Red Bull remain the only teams still pursuing the matter. McLaren has formally lodged a notification of appeal with the FIA International Court of Appeal following the decision to overturn Pierre Gasly's time penalties after the Monaco Grand Prix, while Red Bull has also joined the Woking-based team in submitting its own notification of appeal to the FIA's highest judicial body.