How F1 Teams Employ Creative Evidence to Challenge Race Outcomes

Formula 1 teams may appeal penalties or reprimands by presenting new evidence unseen by stewards during the race. This drives teams to explore unconventional avenues to overturn results.

As McLaren and Red Bull challenge the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix outcome in court, here are five instances where creative evidence shaped appeals.

Let’s head to the Sky Pad

Karun Chandhok, Sky TV

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Sky Pad analysis by commentators like Karun Chandhok is typically for entertainment. Ferrari used Sky Pad stills from Verstappen’s 2019 Canadian GP to appeal a five-second penalty. Stewards rejected it as “personal opinion,” upholding the result.

Be careful what you post on social media

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Performance

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The 2020 Austrian GP saw Hamilton survive a yellow-flag incident after stewards initially cleared him. Red Bull used social media footage showing clearer yellow-panel activation, leading to a three-place grid penalty for Hamilton.

It’s all a simulation

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W12

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Red Bull recreated Copse corner collisions in a simulator to argue Hamilton’s fault in a 2021 British GP. Stewards dismissed the simulated data as “not discovered evidence,” upholding Hamilton’s penalty.

A matter of timing

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 A522

Photo by: Erik Junius

Alpine overturned a 30-second penalty for Alonso at the 2022 US GP using FIA admission that Haas’s late appeal invalidated the penalty. This reversed the result, showcasing how procedural gaps can become evidence.

Meeting minutes

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Alex Albon, Williams FW45

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

McLaren submitted meeting minutes from team discussions to argue against Norris’s 2023 Canadian GP penalty. Stewards deemed the “informal agreements” insufficient, rejecting the appeal and upholding the ruling.

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