In Monaco, an unusually high number of drivers were penalized for speeding in the pit lane
At the Monaco Grand Prix, an unusually high number of drivers received time penalties for pit lane speeding. According to the FIA, this was not due to a technical error in the measuring equipment, but rather to the way the drivers entered the pit lane.
In Monaco, there is a small bend on the way to the pit entrance that can be cut. Onboard footage from drivers like George Russell shows how, instead of taking the entrance in a wide arc, they turn in extremely early to save a few meters.
The FIA emphasizes that speed measurement begins the moment a wheel of the car enters the so-called fast lane. If you take the small “shortcut,” the left front wheel is affected.
Since the electronic timing loops in the ground and the transponders in the cars measure average speed, the speed violations were often minimal. Pierre Gasly, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and Franco Colapinto were only 0.1 km/h faster than allowed in the pit lane.
In addition, the FIA emphasizes that the teams had been warned about this situation before the race. The recommendation was to approach the pit lane entrance in a slightly wider arc to prevent exactly this scenario.
Lewis Hamilton commented on his time penalty after the race as follows: “I wasn’t going too fast. I think it’s because of how the pit lane is set up. I’ve been driving here for years, and it’s not like I drove in without pressing the limiter. It kicks in immediately.“
”It’s because of the line you take, and that’s been the same for years. You cut the white line, head down, and back onto the track. I was shocked when they told me I was going too fast, because I wasn’t over the speed limit.“
In conclusion, Hamilton emphasizes: ”I think it’s because of the length [of the pit lane]. We really need to look into that, because I heard a lot of people had problems with it today, and they probably weren’t going too fast.”
It’s also worth noting that, apart from Hamilton, only drivers with Mercedes engines in the rear were affected. However, the infractions likely have nothing to do with the power unit itself or the calibration of the speed limiter.
“We think he might have cut the corner a bit too much there,” Andrea Stella emphasized after the race regarding Piastri’s penalty. “That’s the current theory, which is why we told Oscar afterward that he should avoid doing that.”
“But initially, that was misunderstood,” explains the McLaren team principal. “We knew that if you cut the corner too much there, you’d be measured as ‘too fast.’ But that’s all we know at the moment.”
Pierre Gasly, in particular, was extremely upset after the race. Since then, Alpine has filed a so-called “Right of Review.”