Vettel: Disqualification was a large hit and it’s very bitter

The German finished second on the road behind first time winner Esteban Ocon and was able to celebrate on the podium.

However, he later learned of his fate, with his Aston Martin team unable to provide a large enough fuel sample after the race.

Vettel has had almost a month off to digest the news over the summer break and will return to action this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Asked about his interpretation of the incident, the four-time world champion explained that the decision felt harsh due to the fact that he did not gain an advantage.

“I guess rules are rules,” Vettel said. “Obviously we didn’t know we had a problem, to be honest.

"When we checked, the fuel wasn’t in the car and we got disqualified, but we thought it was in the car. I don’t know for the future whether there’s a better way to handle this, but I don’t think there was much that could have been done.

“So it’s very bitter because, first I think we did not have an advantage, second there was no intention or no way that we could actually explain that too little fuel was in the car. So something happened over the course of the race, a leakage or something that the fuel was simply wasn’t there anymore.”

Vettel continued by saying that he hoped drivers in the future would not be disqualified for such an infringement and called for "more tolerance".

“Looking back, I think it’s clear the rules are as they are and we got disqualified," he added.

"Looking forwards, obviously it’s very bitter and I think in the circumstance that, obviously, I understand better because I was the one who suffered from it. You don’t wish that on anyone else and it should probably have a little bit more tolerance.

“But what exactly you need to write down on paper in black and white, I don’t know, that’s for other people to come up with," Vettel concluded. (Additional reporting by Agnes Carlier).