Red Bull cast verdict on Monaco F1 penalty verdict

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies believes the successful appeal against Pierre Gasly's reinstatement at the Monaco Grand Prix was "important for the sport". 

Red Bull and Monaco joined forces to appeal the decision to remove the Alpine driver's Monaco penalty, an action that had only been possible in the first place as the Frenchman had not served his sanction during the race.

Although the FIA initially ruled that the fact the pit lane measurement for the speed limit was relevant to the case, the court of appeal did not agree with this - a factor that was central to the penalty being reapplied. 

As a result, Isack Hadjar returns to third place, while Gasly drops to seventh. 

"At first, [we're] very happy that the court reinstated Isack's podium," Mekies told Sky Sports. 

"It's important for Isack, but we also did it because we felt it was important for the sport. 

"We don't really think we want to go racing and have to worry after the race, about the speed limit check [being] correct or not correct. So, we felt that a lot of cars have complied with the regulations in Monaco with the speed limits, and some cars were overspeeding.

"Some of them have served the penalty, some of those didn't, and it was important that we have a consistent way to go racing. 

"So we are happy with the result of the court. It's the very reason why we took it to the court of appeal, because we felt it was important for the sport, and of course, for Isack, it was his first podium with us."

Asked if the outcome sets a dangerous precedent of going back and changing the results, Mekies added: "I think it's the other way around. 

"I think it will certainly avoid that we take as a habit to challenge post-race decisions that are not appealable, which is effectively what happened in the case of the Monaco pit lane speed. 

"So, I think it's good news in terms of seeing the final race result at the moment where the race is finishing."