Aston Martins Sebastian Vettel lost his second place and was disqualified from the results of the Hungarian Grand Prix after the race officials were unable to take the required fuel sample from his car after the race.
According to the Technical Regulations, the competitors must ensure that 1.0 liters of fuel can be removed from the vehicle at any time during the event – however, 0.3 liters could only be removed from Vettel’s Aston Martin after the race on Sunday.
The decision means that Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton will inherit second place, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will be classified third on the podium.
Aston Martin have announced their appeal, adding on Twitter: “Losing 18 points is disappointing for the team, but it doesn’t detract Sebastian from an otherwise flawless drive.
“Today we showed that our car has a strong racing pace. Forwards and upwards.”
The rest of the top 10 behind Vettel also inherit one place each, with Kimi Räikkönen of Alfa Romeo climbing from P11 to the last number of points of P10.
The result also means that Hamilton is expanding his title lead over Max Verstappen by another two points after taking 18 points on the two von Verstappen.
The full verdict of the stewards
“The stewards heard from the team representative.
“It was not possible to take a 1.0 liter fuel sample from Car 5 after the race.
“The team had several opportunities to try to get the required amount of fuel from the tank, but only 0.3 liters could be pumped out.
“During the hearing, in the presence of the FIA Technical Delegate and the FIA Technical Director, the Aston Martin Team Principal stated that there had to be 1.44 liters in the tank, but that they would not come out. This number is calculated using the FFM or injector model.
“In view of this situation, vehicle no. 5 does not meet the requirements of Art. 6.6 of the FIA Technical Regulations. According to Art. 6.6.2, competitors must ensure that a 1.0 liter fuel sample can be taken from the vehicle at all times. The procedure was followed, but the 1.0 liter fuel sample could not be taken.
“The Stewards decide to apply the standard penalty for technical violations, so they have taken into account that the claim that no performance advantage has been achieved is not an objection.
“Competitors are reminded that pursuant to Article 15 of the FIA International Sports Law and Article 10.1.1 of the FIA Rules and Regulations, they have the right to appeal against certain decisions made by the Stewards within the applicable time limits.”
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