Sebastian Vettel disqualified from Hungarian Grand Prix
Monday, 2 August 2021
The German driver was disqualified after the race.
Sebastian Vettel has lost his second-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix after a post-race fuel sample didn't meet the regulation requirements.
Esteban Ocon was the shock winner of a thrilling race on Sunday, with Vettel coming in second ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who fought back from last place to take third and leapfrog Max Verstappen at the top of the championship standings.
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The dramatic Grand Prix started with a crash on Turn One, caused in wet conditions by Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas who, along with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) was forced to retire from the race.
Hamilton, initially on pole, then dropped back to 14th after he chose not to change his tyres after the formation lap, with the track having dried off while the race had been suspended.
Though Hamilton hit back, overcoming Fernando Alonso in an epic 10-lap tussle before nipping ahead of Carlos Sainz, the seven-time world champion could not get close enough to Vettel.
However, the Briton now takes second place after all, with Vettel, who parked his car on the cool-down lap before heading back to the podium, retrospectively disqualified.
F1®'s technical regulations state that competitors must ensure a 1.0 litre sample of fuel can be taken from the car at any time.
However, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer had to refer Vettel to the stewards after technicians only managed to retrieve a 0.3l sample.
"After the race it was checked on car number 05 whether a 1.0 litre sample of fuel could be taken from the car," read Bauer's statement. "It was possible to take only a 0.3 litre sample following the procedures laid out in Article 6.6.4 of the 2021 Formula 1® Technical Regulations.
"Therefore I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration, as this is not in compliance with Article 6.6.2 of the 2021 Formula 1® Technical Regulations."
Vettel's disqualification also means Sainz takes third place, while Hamilton gains a further two points in the championship standings, with Verstappen rising one place to ninth.
UPDATED: The points scorers from Hungary after Sebastian Vettel's disqualification#HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/gokhmLyW5X
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2021
