Aston Martin withdraws appeal against Hungarian GP disqualification

The Aston Martin Cognizant team has announced that it has withdrawn its appeal against Sebastian Vettel's disqualification from the Hungarian Grand Prix.

After starting from P10 on the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel managed to avoid a first-corner melee, which was caused by the overambitious Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, to jump to third place. The German then capitalized on Lewis Hamilton’s decision when the Briton opted against pitting on the second formation lap for the 70-lap race.

The remaineder of the race saw Vettel battle with Alpine driver Esteban Ocon for the win with the Frenchman coming out on top to claim his maiden Formula 1 victory in Mogyoród.

While the German was delighted with his second podium-finish with the Silverstone-based outfit, he faced trouble following FIA’s post-race technical inspection. The governing body was unable to take the required 1.0 litre fuel sample from Vettel’s car, prompting the stewards to disqualify the German from the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team immediately announced its wish to appeal after the race, and took it further when it officially confirmed its request for appeal of the disqualification last Tuesday.

The FIA decided to hold a hearing this Monday when team boss Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Technical Officer Andrew Green and Sporting Director Andy Stevenson presented the team’s explanation for the lack of fuel sample. Aston Martin stated that a faulty fuel pump was the cause of the lack of fuel, but the FIA refused to accept that and dismissed the team’s request for review of Vettel's Hungaroring disqualification.

Aston Martin has now issued a statament, confirming that it has withdrawn its appeal: "Having considered our position and having noted the FIA stewards’ verdict that there was clear new evidence of a fuel system failure, we have nonetheless withdrawn our appeal on the basis that we believe doing so outweighs the benefits of it being heard."