Aston Martin Loses FIA Review Request, Vettel Stands Disqualified From Hungarian GP

In a blow to the Aston Martin F1 team, the FIA stewards have rejected their right to review appeal which means Sebastian Vettel stands disqualified from the Hungarian GP after the FIA stewards found that his car had less fuel than what was stipulated as per the guidelines. The FIA was able to just extract 0.3 litres of fuel while the minimum requirement was 1 litre of fuel. Aston Martin contested that the car had 1.7 litres of fuel but couldn't extract it for some reason. Aston Martin intended to bring in evidence that wasn't available at the time of the inspection which proved the car had the legal amount of fuel. In the context of the world championship, this was a big loss for Aston Martin and Vettel and changed the dynamics of the battles between various teams that benefited or lost because of Vettel's disqualification. 

Esteban Ocon in the Alpine was the surprise winner of the Hungarian GP and Vettel chased him through the race

"For the assessment of whether or not the 1-litre requirement was broken, it does not make a difference why there was less than 1 litre," said the governing body in a statement.

"There maybe a couple of explanations why at the end of a race the remaining amount is insufficient. In any case, it remains the sole responsibility of the Competitor to ensure that the car is in conformity with the regulations at all times and it shall be no defence to claim that no performance advantage was obtained," the FIA added, stating that indeed Aston Martin brought new evidence.

“To be able to affirm a 'relevant fact, Aston Martin would have had to present facts that more than 1 litre of fuel was remaining. The explanation why this requirement could not be met is not relevant to the decision as to whether a breach of the regulations has occurred," it added, rejecting the right to review. 

Vettel was also reprimanded by the stewards for wearing a T-shirt stating “same love” supporting the LGBTQ movement in Hungary 

It is still not the end of the road for Aston Martin as it had already triggered an appeal process in the court of appeals which can still potentially overturn this decision. If Vettel stayed P2, it would have a massive impact on Aston Martin's position in the world constructor's championship as the disqualification has dragged it behind AlphaTauri. 

It has other domino effects too. For instance, Carlos Sainz Jr gets his second podium for Ferrari and now Ferrari has the same amount of points as McLaren being joint P3. Lewis Hamilton has now extended his lead over Max Verstappen because he gets 3 more points with his P2 in the Hungarian GP. 

This is a blow to the Lawrence Stroll owned team as it managed P4 last year and a drop to P7 just ahead of Alfa Romeo, Haas and Williams are unbecoming of the massive investment Stroll have poured into the brand.