Sebastian Vettel
The verdict is there – and Sebastian Vettel is thwarted! The German Formula 1 star will not get his second place in Hungary again.
Vettel raced in his Aston Martin at the Hungaroring behind sensational winner Esteban Ocon in second place. He was later disqualified. The reason: Too little gasoline in his racing car. His team appealed the verdict and wanted to produce “significant evidence”. But the objection failed.
According to Aston Martin, there should still have been 1.74 liters in the tank. But the FIA found only 0.3 liters during the check, but it should have been at least one liter. Aston Martin later discovered a defect in the fuel supply, the pressure relief valve of the fuel cell is said to have been identified as the main culprit, which is why there was less gasoline left.
After a pressure loss in the fuel cell, air was pumped into it, which inadvertently led to a significant amount of fuel being drained. For the FIA, however, this was not relevant information in this case: “For the assessment of the question of whether the 1-liter limit was exceeded or not, it is irrelevant why there was less than one liter.”
In the grounds of the judgment, the FIA said that the race center itself “has to ensure that the vehicle complies with the regulations at all times. It is not an argument to claim that no performance advantage has been achieved.” Ultimately, Aston Martin simply could not prove that the required amount was in the tank. “The explanation why this requirement could not be met is not relevant for the decision as to whether there is a rule violation.”
