Monday, August 09, 2021
“This is disappointing”
Bankruptcy for the Vettel team in the “petrol dispute”
Sebastian Vettel is on the podium in the Aston Martin for the second time in Hungary – but the joy only lasts for a short time: hours after crossing the finish line, the German is deprived of second place. The team fights for a new verdict, but suffers a major setback.
The request to reconsider the missing fuel in Sebastian Vettel’s car after his revoked second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix has been rejected. This was announced by Formula 1 after a video conference. Accordingly, the Aston Martin racing team could not present the necessary new “significant evidence”, as the decision said. They would have considered the evidence relevant, emphasized team boss Otmar Szafnauer afterwards in a statement from the racing team. Unfortunately, the world automobile association, which was represented by race director Michael Masi among others, saw things differently. “That is disappointing,” said Szafnauer. They would now also reconsider their position with a view to the protest in the appeals court.
In a test after the race, which Vettel had initially finished second behind the French surprise winner Esteban Ocon, only 0.3 liters of fuel were found, according to the technical delegate. But at least one liter is required.
Aston Martin had initially emphasized that, according to their own data, 1.74 liters should still have been in the car. In further analyzes, however, the team found a defect in the fuel supply and came to the conclusion that less than a liter remained in the tank, the message said on Monday. It does not matter why the required amount was no longer left. Vettel’s racing team also protested the decision to disqualify Vettel. This will be dealt with separately before the Court of Appeal of the World Automobile Association. The car was confiscated after the race to preserve evidence.
As a result of Vettel’s subsequent disqualification, Lewis Hamilton, who was third in the Mercedes, moved up to second place. The seven-time world champion from Great Britain had also taken the lead in the overall standings ahead of Max Verstappen from Red Bull before the summer break in the motorsport premier class. The season will continue on the last weekend in August with the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.
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