Aston Martin has confirmed it will press ahead with its appeal of Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification from the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Vettel finished second in Budapest but was stripped of the result in the hours following the race due when his car was found to have less than one litre of fuel in the car, the amount required for the FIA to take a sample.
The stewards said Vettel’s car only had 0.3 litres when the race finished. Shortly after crossing the finish line, Vettel stopped his car by the side of the road, apparently concerned about his fuel level.
On Thursday, Aston Martin confirmed it is appealing the verdict.
The team says it has found “significant new evidence” that was unavailable to the stewards at the time of the verdict. Aston Martin has maintained that its own data revealed Vettel’s car had 1.74 litres of fuel in the car when the race finished.
A statement said: “There was and is no suggestion that Vettel’s Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team AMR21 car benefited from a performance advantage from the alleged regulatory breach, or that it was deliberate.”
The outcome of the appeal will have a bearing on the championship. With Vettel disqualified, championship leader Lewis Hamilton took 18 points instead of 15 — as the results stands now, he goes into the summer break eight points clear of Max Verstappen in the title race.
If Aston Martin’s appeal is successful and Vettel is reinstated, Hamilton’s lead will be five points.