Gasly Monaco podium hope revived after Alpine clears first FIA review hurdle ahead of GPDA meeting in Barcelona

The French driver crossed the finish line in third place on the streets of Monte Carlo, only to see his dream podium ripped away after receiving two separate five-second penalties for pit lane speeding. Those penalties dropped him from P3 to P7 and handed Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar a maiden Formula 1 podium. He called it the hardest day of his F1 career.

Now, however, the entire result could be under threat. Ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Alpine presented new evidence to the FIA as part of a formal Right of Review process. The team needed to prove that significant new information had emerged that was unavailable when the original penalties were handed out. Remarkably, the stewards agreed.

The development centres around Formula One Management's timing data. According to documents presented during the hearing, FOM admitted that the distance used to calculate pit lane speeds was inaccurate, potentially leading to an overestimation of how fast Gasly was travelling. The stewards concluded that this evidence alone was significant enough to allow the review process to move forward.

Gasly has maintained from the beginning that he did not exceed the 60km/h pit lane speed limit. Alpine's submission reportedly included data showing the driver activated his speed limiter before entering the pit lane and remained within the legal threshold throughout both incidents.

If the FIA ultimately overturns the penalties, Gasly would likely be reinstated to third place in the Monaco results. That would cost Hadjar his podium finish and could trigger further reviews from other drivers who were penalised for the same issue, including Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Oscar Piastri.

The complication for the FIA is that several drivers served penalties during the race, making any retrospective changes potentially messy and controversial. Multiple teams have reportedly joined the hearing process because of the wider consequences a ruling could have on the final classification.

As things stand, no final verdict has been announced. The FIA accepted Alpine's evidence and continued the review process, with a decision expected following further deliberations.

For Gasly, the possibility of recovering what he called a "heartbreaking" lost podium remains very much alive. And for Formula 1, one of the most controversial races of the season may not be finished just yet.

Carlos Sainz, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, confirmed Gasly's incident will be discussed with the FIA and F1 on Friday in the Barcelona paddock as they seek final clarification on the incident last weekend.