FIA accepts Mercedes' Monaco review request

The decision adds another twist to a saga that has already dramatically reshaped the Monaco classification. Last week, Alpine successfully overturned the two five-second penalties handed to Pierre Gasly for pit lane speeding, allowing the Frenchman to reclaim his podium finish after the FIA acknowledged an error in the timing system used during the race.

Now, Mercedes believes Russell's case also deserves another look.

The FIA confirmed on Wednesday that the team has submitted a formal Right of Review petition, with a hearing scheduled for Saturday. As required by the regulations, the process will begin with the stewards deciding whether Mercedes has presented a significant and relevant new element that was unavailable during the original investigation. Only if that threshold is met will the case itself be reconsidered.

Russell's situation differs significantly from Gasly's. The Mercedes driver initially received a five-second penalty for a pit lane speeding infringement but then failed to serve it correctly during the race, resulting in an additional drive-through penalty. Taking that sanction after the final restart dropped him out of the points and dealt a substantial blow to both his and Mercedes' championship hopes.

That difference could make any potential outcome far more complicated than Alpine's successful appeal. While Gasly's penalties were added to his race time after the finish and could simply be removed, Russell already served his punishment during the Grand Prix itself, raising questions about what remedy would even be possible if Mercedes wins its case.

It also remains unclear what the Brackley-based squad is ultimately seeking. The review could focus solely on Russell's penalties, but the wider implications of the FIA's admitted timing error have already cast doubt over several decisions made during the Monaco weekend.

The controversy is far from limited to Mercedes. McLaren has already confirmed an appeal against the decision to restore Gasly's podium, arguing that Oscar Piastri served his own penalty during the race and ultimately lost a position in the revised classification.

Red Bull is also understood to have launched its own challenge in an effort to recover a podium result for Isack Hadjar, although the Milton Keynes outfit has yet to officially confirm the move.