The F1 implications of Ferrari’s failed Red Bull Monaco F1 protest

Shortly after the conclusion of the Monte Carlo race, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was in a media briefing when he took a call from sporting director Jonathan Wheatley informing him that Ferrari had formally complained.

Ferrari felt that both of Red Bull’s drivers had broken the regulations when they appeared to run across the yellow pitlane exit as they came out after their swap to slick tyres on lap 22.

During the race, Perez’s incident had been noted by the stewards but there had been no further communication.

And subsequent footage from Verstappen’s onboard showed him to be much further over the line than his teammate, so potentially at greater risk of having broken rules that would normally hand him a time penalty.

Ferrari felt that the matter needed investigation because it had been under the impression that the FIA deemed it a breach if any part of the car touched the yellow line.

As Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto explained, before the verdict was reached: “The intention to protest is not really protesting Red Bull in itself. But seeking clarification on a matter which, for us, it’s somehow obviously unclear.

“I think we believe that both Red Bulls were on the line, on the yellow line, exiting the pit lane. And in the past, it has always been penalised with five seconds.

“More than that, if you read the race director notes, it’s clearly written. And that has been clearly written, I think [since] Turkey 2020, to avoid any misunderstanding, that you need to stay on the right of the yellow line.

“To avoid confusion on the word ‘crossing’, being on the line, you need to stay on the right of the yellow line. And for us, it was not the case at all.”

The race notes for the Monaco Grand Prix did indeed emphasise that drivers had to stay to…