Monaco, why so many pit lane penalties? FIA responds
The opening phase of the Monaco Grand Prix unfolded largely as expected, with the field stuck in a train behind Kimi Antonelli and overtaking proving almost impossible. However, what began to shape the narrative of the race were the growing number of investigations, all triggered by the same issue: speeding in the pit lane.
According to the official documents, several drivers were found to be just 0.1 km/h over the pit lane speed limit, which resulted in five-second time penalties being applied.
The situation appeared almost comical in its precision, especially given that even after multiple warnings, similar mistakes kept occurring. One of the most notable cases was Pierre Gasly, who, with a 10-second penalty to serve, ultimately saw a potential podium finish slip away.
After the race, Alpine launched an appeal and even brought a measuring tape into the pit lane. The suspicion was that the pit lane length might have been different from the officially declared measurement, which could in turn have affected the calibration of the speed limiter across several cars.
The FIA addressed the media to clarify the situation, stating that there were no issues with the sensors themselves. According to the governing body, the issue was related to how drivers were approaching the pit entry, often cutting a section to gain a few metres. As a result, the FIA timing system registered a shorter travel time, triggering the speeding alerts.
This adjustment had already been communicated to drivers during Friday’s briefing, according to the stewards.
Lewis Hamilton also confirmed this explanation, suggesting it was the only plausible reason behind the series of infractions despite drivers following their usual pit lane procedures.
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