2021 Hungarian GP winner Esteban Ocon has reacted to Sebastian Vettel being disqualified from the race for a fuel violation.
The German crossed the finish line to P2, thinking he had scored Aston Martin’s second F1 podium.
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However, his car was found to have under the required one-litre of fuel left in its tank, and he was swiftly disqualified from the classification.
Aston Martin subsequently appealed, arguing that a fuel pump failure led to them overestimating how much fuel the car had left and insisting that Vettel didn’t gain a performance advantage.
But the FIA ultimately rejected their application for a review of the stewards’ decision, and Vettel’s disqualification was therefore upheld.
The four-time World Champion fought with Ocon for victory at the Hungaroring, and the Frenchman – who went on to record his maiden F1 victory – admitted that he feels somewhat “sad” for Vettel.
“I am a bit sad for Seb,” Ocon said.
“Because he did such a good race and in the end getting disqualified, it’s not something we like to see.
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“We like to see racing on track and to keep that position after. But that’s how motorsport is sometimes. Motorsport is cruel.
“It’s obviously not a great thing to see and a sad end for him. But Seb is coming back from that, I am sure,” he added.
The disqualification meant that Aston Martin left Hungary without a point, as Lance Stroll retired on the first lap of the grand prix as he tried to avoid the first-lap carnage but created a separate multi-car collision.
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