08/01/2021 17:51
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 08/01/2021 18:16
German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) was disqualified this Sunday and lost his second place in the Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix, as
"it is not possible to extract a sample of a liter of fuel"
from his tank after the race.
Vettel and Aston Martin failed to comply with article 6.6 of the code of technical regulations of the International Automobile Federation, according to which "participants must ensure that a 1-liter fuel sample can be extracted from the vehicle at all times" in order not to have a advantage.
The sanction to Vettel, initially second in the race won by the Frenchman Esteban Ocon, partner of the other Spaniard, Fernando Alonso, in Alpine also implies that the double Asturian world champion, who had been fifth, was definitively classified in fourth position.
And there is more: because the seven-time English world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who had snatched the lead from the Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull), goes on to command the World Cup with eight points of advantage instead of six (195 against 187 ).
The greeting between Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel.
Photo: EFE
Sainz's third place is the fourth podium since competing in the premier class of the talented Madrid driver, who becomes sixth in the World Championship, with 83 points, three more than his teammate, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). which is now seventh.
With the changes, Alonso - who, initially, had fallen to twelfth - would continue to occupy eleventh place in the championship, with 38 points, eight more than Vettel, who instead of being ninth, is twelfth overall.
After the disqualification of the German, the two Alpha Tauri drivers, Frenchman Pierre Gasly - who set the fastest lap - and Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, become fifth and sixth in the classification of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Canadian Nicholas Latifi and Englishman George Russell, who achieved their first points of the season this Sunday, the first for their team, Williams, by finishing just ahead of Verstappen;
they are seventh and eighth.
And the young Dutch star, ninth.
Bottas hit Norris and the Brit took Verstappen, which ended up with a lot of damage.
Photo: Reuters
Finn Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo), who had been eleventh, added a point, being re-qualified as tenth in the race that took place at the Hungaroring.
The race
The French driver Esteban Ocon (Alpine) gave the surprise and achieved the first victory of his career in the Hungarian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the Formula 1 World Championship, ahead of the German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) and the English Lewis Hamilton ( Mercedes), new leader of the championship after a race where Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) fought until the final laps for a podium that the Madrid native enjoyed untimely due to the disqualification of the four-time world champion.
The Hungaroring, a track where it is difficult to overtake, left a very entertaining appointment, marked by both his first and second outings, something that Ocon did not miss to make his debut as a winner, largely thanks to his teammate who tied up in a 'battle 'sensational to the seven-time world champion, stopped by the Spanish in his attempt to come back.
"I think I owe the victory to him as well,"
remarked the winner in the interview on the podium.
The embrace of Ocon and Alonso after the race in Hungary.
Photo: AFP
The Frenchman took the victory, but many accolades went to his veteran teammate, who for his recent 40 years gave himself a wonderful duel with Hamilton for a dozen laps and, despite being surpassed, ended up chosen as the 'Driver of the Day' .
It also seemed to be a positive day for another veteran like Vettel, who had not missed the opportunity to add his second podium with his new team, but an irregularity with the sample of his fuel led to his disqualification and promotion to third place. of Sainz.
Neither did the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) escape from the misfortune, again involved in an accident at the start that damaged his car badly and that delayed him to tenth place and go on vacation eight points behind Hamilton, also favored by the disqualification of Vettel.
All in all, the last Grand Prix before the break of almost a month was entertaining.
The rain before the start threw an uncertainty that increased after the green light, with the negative role for Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes).
Bottas played bumper cars with Norris and Checo Pérez.
Photo: Reuters
Hamilton defended his first place well, but the Finn did not go well, he could not protect himself from Verstappen and touched Lando Norris (McLaren) from behind, who on the rebound took the Dutchman, while Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) did the same. own with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
The Scandinavian and Canadian were later sanctioned with five places for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix.
The incident led to the stoppage of the race and a new start, which the still championship leader was able to face, albeit with his Red Bull seriously damaged.
And the new departure surely left one of the images of this Grand Prix and of the season.
The track had dried up and all the drivers decided to quickly enter to change their 'tires', with the exception of Hamilton who was left alone on the starting grid.
The Englishman had to correct that mistake, which would end up being decisive for the future of the race because he went to the 'tail' and left Ocon and Vettel and the rest free to dream of a Sunday of glory.
However, the seven-time world champion did not break down and made the most of his Mercedes to start one of his comebacks.
Among the candidates for that victory that seemed to be free without the two strongest drivers were Sainz, who had made a sensational first start, and Alonso, fifth and sixth in this restart behind Ocon, Vettel, Nicholas Latifi (Williams), who made a 'plug' that was also a great help to the French and German, and Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri).
The Madrilenian knew how to read the race and with the good rhythm of his Ferrari he was able to 'disobey' his 'box' when he asked to enter to change.
His refusal finally helped him overtake Latifi and Tsunoda to secure his podium options, while the Oviedo delayed his entry to the limit and allowed himself the luxury of leading for a few laps.
The Alonso-Hamilton duel
The threat to the two Spanish pilots was a Hamilton who 'flew' down the track and approached them, who could not cut enough to disturb Ocon and Vettel, who maintained first and second place, with the four-time world champion without to be able to surpass the French.
The second inning of the Mercedes left him fifth just behind Sainz and Alonso, who were rushing their podium options before the threat of Stevenage.
The Briton was in the wake of the two-time world champion and it was then that the best moments were surely lived, in terms of spectacle, since Hamilton took a dozen laps to be able to overcome the Alpine, with Alonso closing all the 'doors', although the Spaniard later recognized that it was more demerit than his former partner.
Fernando Alonso restrained Lewis Hamilton for ten laps.
Photo: AFP
All the time that the Asturian held Hamilton was pure gold for Ocon and Vettel, who secured the first and second places, but not for Sainz, who the wear of the tires and the gasoline prevented him from opening a gap during that ' battle 'between the two world champions.
The Madrilenian tried, but could not with the Mercedes and missed the precious podium in the race with a few laps to go, although then he did win his fight for fourth position that leaves him seventh in the standings.
Look also
Ocon and Alpine achieved their first triumph in Formula 1 in a crazy Hungarian Grand Prix