
Aston Martin managed to save Sebastian Vettel’s second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. The team initially insisted that their car had more than enough fuel for a sample, saying that while only 300 milliliters could be pumped out, easily 1.44 liters or even 1.7 liters when they appealed, Proved to be silent in the car.
Since it’s the F1 summer shutdown, nobody should have done anything to the car anyway – there’s pretty much a total moratorium on everything that happens in the factories to give team members a break. So there was nothing for the team to lose in having the FIA seize it and try to get that amount of fuel out on a full appeal. And while they’re at it, Aston has requested a full sentence review. Technically we only heard the result of the second one, but unfortunately it doesn’t look good either.
Aston had its hearing with the stewards this afternoon at 3 p.m. European time and we discovered that the decision did not vote for the team and Vettel.
When Red Bull tried to request a review of Lewis Hamilton’s penalty from the Great Britain Grand Prix, Aston Martin had to come up with new and relevant evidence that was not available at the time of the disqualification but had not been simulated, for example, Jess Hawkins drives laps, to prove that there could be enough fuel left in another scenario.
Fortunately, Aston Martin made a better attempt. And if it could have proven that there was a way to get a liter of fuel out of the car, it would have been one of the rare instances where a team actually got the FIA to at least look back at the penalty .
Unfortunately it shouldn’t be. Although all of Aston’s readings indicated that there was enough fuel for the sample immediately after the race, it turned out that this was due to a loss of pressure in the fuel cell. Air was blown through the cell to repressurize it and “a significant amount of fuel was accidentally expelled”.
Given that other drivers have already struggled with fuel management over the race distance, a significant loss after starting in the wet would really put you at a disadvantage, and it’s not surprising Vettel’s car didn’t spit it out. Or, given the fact that the entire fuel system was partially cranked in the middle of the race, the readings said something different from what was really left.
Aston Martin itself admits that after the analysis after the race, not a liter of fuel could be removed from the car. It sucks, but there it is.
Unfortunately, the tech rules don’t care why you couldn’t get a fuel sample just that you couldn’t. Aston’s evidence – although an interesting explanation of why it was so difficult – doesn’t lead to a disqualification review and Vettel will lose second place. In theory, the team could be pushing an appeals process, but since it has been confirmed that no matter how much they jiggle it, it would not be possible to remove the sample from the car, it would be an odd way to contribute another five-figure sum to the FIA Season bar tab.
It’s a shame, but we’ll always have the new recycled paddock dad in rainbow sneakers to hold on to. And we win a new trivia: Carlos Sainz Jr. was not even on half of the podium places that he has achieved.
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