Budapest,aug 2
Frenchman Esteban Ocon won a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix while an exhausted Lewis Hamilton moved up to second place in the race after Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification, increasing his Formula One championship lead over Max Verstappen to eight points heading into the midseason break.
Vettel’s penalty fell late Sunday night after officials were unable to take the required fuel sample of 1 liter from his Aston Martin.”The team was given several opportunities to attempt to remove the required amount of fuel from the tank, however it was only possible to pump 0.3 litres out,” governing body FIA said in a statement.
“The Stewards determine to apply the standard penalty for technical infringements.”Aston Martin has appealed the decision.The ruling bumped Hamilton up to second, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. To third and Verstappen to ninth — but with an adverse effect for Verstappen as he fell further back overall to eight points, not six.
Hamilton, meanwhile, needed a check from the Mercedes team doctor after the race.”Had really big dizziness and everything got a bit blurry,” he said.”I have been fighting all year really with the health, staying healthy after what happened at the end of last year (with coronavirus).”
Verstappen was taken out early in the race by Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in a first-lap crash that caused Bottas and four others to retire.It was only the 24-year-old Ocon’s second podium, following a second-place finish at the Sakhir GP in Bahrain late last year.”What a moment, feels so good,” Ocon said, patting his heart. Ocon’s teammate Fernando Alonso moved up to fourth.
The crash in the rain was caused by Bottas, who retired as a result.The race restarted in absurd fashion with only Hamilton on the grid, while others were changing their tires because the track had dried. Hamilton did the same a lap later and came out in last place, a couple of spots behind Verstappen.”I kept telling them (Mercedes) it’s dry, dry, dry and they said to me ‘stay out,'” Hamilton said. “I don’t understand it … It’s a mistake from us.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff didn’t agree with his star driver.”It was 100% the right decision and I stand by it,” said Wolff.”I thought that within one lap it couldn’t dry up like it did. You have to take it on the chin — that it was the wrong outcome but the decision was right.”A clever second tire change by Mercedes for hard tires on Lap 20 outwitted Red Bull and Hamilton moved ahead of Verstappen after he came in for new tires. With 30 laps to go, the top four was Ocon-Vettel-Sainz Jr.-Hamilton.To give Hamilton a shot at victory, Mercedes made a third tire change with a little more than 20 laps remaining.
