McLaren and Red Bull offered support over potential FIA action

Williams boss James Vowles has offered his support to McLaren and Red Bull over potential legal action regarding Pierre Gasly's Monaco podium reinstatement. 

The FIA stewards cancelled the two five-second pit-lane speeding penalties handed to Gasly in Monte Carlo on Friday in Barcelona, handing back the French driver his third-place finish after having dropped to seventh. 

It was found during an investigation by the stewards under the Right of Review process that a pit-lane timing loop was 77cm too short, meaning some drivers who were pinged for speeding actually did not do so. 

Five drivers, including Gasly, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri all were handed penalties, but only Gasly did not serve his during the race, whereas Russell served a drive-through penalty, dropping to 12th, whilst Piastri, without his five-second penalty, would have finished third. 

There is no mechanism in the rulebook to un-do a served penalty, meaning Russell and Piastri's sanctions cannot be undone, although Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed during the official FIA press conference that his team were "on the phone to lawyers" about what could be done. 

RacingNews365 understands that both McLaren and Red Bull have lodged an intention to appeal, which gives him 96 hours from Friday to formally trigger an appeal of the decision - something Williams boss Vowles has signalled would have his support.

"Here's my view on it, it is not the first time it has happened," Vowles told Sky Sports F1.

"In Singapore, when I was with a different team, exactly the same thing happened, where you can shortcut the pit-lane. If you watch on-board, you'll see they are not driving in the white lines; they're driving across the white lines, so you've shortened the distance.

"If you look back at Monaco, we received a speeding fine on Friday, had a look into it and went: 'Ah, this is what happened, and we tuned down our speed limit as a result of it because that is the regulation.

"Nobody tunes their pit-lane speed limit to 60kph, it is always below that, and my advice to anyone is to drive on Friday and Saturday the same way you are going to drive on Sunday, don't change your line, which is going to catch you out.

"I'm surprised we have the reinstatement [of Gasly's podium], but being frank, it doesn't really affect us, but I think it creates a bit of a mess now. 

"What do you do with George? What do you do with Piastri, who, in those circumstances, should have been on the podium as a result? 

"That's the mess I don't feel comfortable about."

When the potential of McLaren and Red Bull appeal was raised, Vowles added that: "I would support them in that."