The Monaco Grand Prix ended with a wave of pit‑lane speed penalties that surprised many. Eleven drivers, including Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, were found to have exceeded the limit by a mere 0.1 km/h. The FIA’s post‑race audit confirmed the infractions were all under one kilometre per hour.

Investigators traced the issue to the pit‑entry kink. Drivers can cut the white line and glide straight on the right side for a few metres, shortening the measured distance. The timing system counts from the first wheel’s entry into the fast lane, so a slightly tighter line inflates the average speed in each sector of the sector.

Lewis Hamilton accepted a five‑second penalty yet still finished second, arguing the same line had caused his own infraction. He said the pit‑lane limiter activates immediately and that the measured distance, not the car’s speed, likely pushed him over the limit. Alpine has now requested a review, claiming Gasly was robbed of a podium in this race.

Race control warned teams of the pit‑lane quirk before the race and urged a wider entry line. All penalised drivers, except Hamilton, ran Mercedes power units, but the issue is unrelated to the engines. The FIA will examine the measurement process, while teams adjust their pit‑entry strategy for upcoming seasons ahead.