FIA announce penalty verdict after Red Bull driver incident at Monaco

The FIA have announced a penalty verdict after an incident between Red Bull star Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix.

During the opening stages of the race, Gasly collided into the back of Tsunoda’s Red Bull when he attempted an overtake at the Nouvelle Chicane.

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The collision dislodged Gasly’s front-left wheel which was left loosely hanging onto the Alpine, bouncing along the track as the Frenchman returned to the pits.

Tsunoda and Gasly’s crash was then referred to the stewards who investigated the incident after the race, but the Frenchman escaped a penalty and instead was hit with his first reprimand of the season.

How did Gasly avoid a penalty from the FIA?

Gasly's representative argued that Tsunoda did not leave at least one car width between his own and the edge of the track, which they claimed caused the crash.

Alpine also stated that Tsunoda moved under braking at the Nouvelle Chicane which contributed to the collision, however the stewards did not agree that the Red Bull had moved under braking and that he took the normal racing line at the corner.

The stewards described Gasly’s attempted overtake as ‘ambitious and unlikely to succeed’, and that he should have anticipated Tsunoda moving in such a way.

However, the stewards also checked the telemetry and found that Gasly’s rear tyres locked under braking, which contributed in part to the incident.

Whilst the collision was deemed to be wholly or predominantly Gasly’s fault, there was no sporting consequence for Tsunoda and it ruined the Alpine star's race with a DNF, thus receiving a reprimand instead of a penalty.

READ MORE: FIA confirm Monaco Grand Prix disqualification penalty

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