Aston Martin has officially submitted a request to the FIA to review Sebastian Vettel’s Hungarian Grand Prix disqualification after uncovering “significant new evidence”.
Vettel finished second on the road behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon at the Hungaroring, but was later stripped of his podium finish.
A 1.0-litre fuel sample was unable to be taken from the car after the grand prix, breaching requirements established in the technical regulations.
Aston Martin says that its data indicated that there was 1.74 litres left in the car after the race.
A statement from the team reads: “After Sebastian Vettel’s drive to second place on the road in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday August 1st, he was disqualified from the results when a 1.0-litre sample of fuel was not able to be taken from his car after the race (a requirement as set out in the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations).
“There was and is no suggestion that Vettel’s car benefited from a performance advantage from the alleged regulatory breach, or that it was deliberate.
“Since the team’s data indicated that there was more than 1.0 litre of fuel in the car after the race – 1.74 litres according to the data – the team immediately reserved its right to appeal, and has requested a right of review alongside the appeal procedure, as a result of having discovered significant new evidence relevant to the sanction which was unavailable to it at the time of the FIA stewards’ decision.”
Aston Martin will present its case to the stewards, who will then deliberate if the evidence provided could change the outcome of the penalty. The date for the hearing is yet to be confirmed.
Unfortunately the TR is quite clear. It doesn’t matter what amount of fuel is in the car, it has to be able to provide a 1 litre sample, from the designated sample point (spec) at the end of the race.
It’s difficult to successfully appeal a very clear specific rule.
I assume they passed the max usage of 106kg OK?
Where is the missing fuel? Did it end up in Vettel’s water bottle and he drank it?