Pierre Gasly started the day in seventh place at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix before ending it with a podium, officially the sixth of his Formula 1 career.
Indeed, almost five days after the finish of the Monte Carlo race, which had seen him relegated to seventh place due to two penalties for speeding in the pitlane, the stewards of the Monaco GP – having reviewed the case following a right of review by Alpine – ruled in favour of his team and concluded that the Frenchman had not committed any offence.
The removal of these two penalties therefore restored Gasly to his third-place finish on track, whilst removing Isack Hadjar from the podium. This came as a relief to Gasly, who had described last Sunday as the “hardest” day of his career.
“I’m extremely happy for the whole team, very proud of the whole team, the way they have fought for all of us for that result,” he told Sky Sports on Friday in Barcelona.
“I must say, Sunday night I felt very low. A lot of mixed emotions, proud of the performance, extremely sad about the whole decision, the whole situation. Some injustice in all that situation, and I wasn’t sure how things would move forward. But the team did an amazing job.
“I’m very proud of F1, FIA for the transparency and everybody recognising their responsibilities in that situation. We all know that with everything at stake, when you look at the world championship in all different sports, you know how complicated things can be. I think for today, it’s a massive step forward for our sport.”
Pierre Gasly missed the podium celebration, but still takes third in Monaco
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
It is clear, however, that what also makes such a result so special – namely, experiencing the unique atmosphere of the Monaco podium and the collective celebrations – cannot be replaced, despite the sense of justice felt by the 2020 Italian Grand Prix winner.
“It won’t give me back what I lost,” he added. “I’ve accepted that already. As much as I would have liked to see how it looks, just stopping there, being on the podium with the prince, celebrating with the guys.
“These moments are what makes a career so special. It’s not going to happen, it didn’t happen, that’s how it is. We’ll have to do it another time.
“But for now, I’m just very proud of how the team handled the situation. How much they backed me up and brought our case forward and really fought for it. Very good news, a bit strange to celebrate on a Friday morning, but it is what it is and I’m just happy.”
Gasly is therefore taking a fatalistic view, but remains pleased with what this podium finish means for the Alpine team, which is recovering from a particularly long and difficult 2025 season, having chosen to focus on 2026 and its regulatory changes.
“Points are important as well,” Gasly pointed out, as the haul for third place secures Alpine’s fifth position in the constructors’ championship. “We should not forget that 12 months ago, even 6 months ago we were in a very different position in Abu Dhabi.
“Last year was a very long year. The car wasn’t competitive and the team worked very hard to turn things around with that new regulation. So far this year we’ve managed to score points in every round.
“It’s a good time, there’s good momentum. I’m sure it’s going to bring a lot of positivity and the right mood in the team. It can only be good for the future.”
While Gasly has reason to celebrate on Friday evening in Barcelona, his rivals are considering their next moves. Following the stewards’ verdict on the Monaco race, both Red Bull and McLaren highlighted their intention to appeal the result. They now have 96 hours in which they can decide whether to lodge a formal protest over the decision.
Mercedes is also considering its options following the verdict, and team boss Toto Wolff warned that he had spoken with team lawyers over its options.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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