A €59 part that is expensive for Ferrari

La Team Ferrari will quickly focus on its reliability concerns after having accumulated blunders. After a Malaysian GP where Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen encountered mechanical problems, the Japanese Grand Prix held last weekend at Suzuka seems to have sealed the fate of the Championship.

Sebastian Vettel had to retire after just four laps due to a faulty spark plug, a cost of €59 according to Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne who spoke to CNBC at an event celebrating the Ferrari 70th anniversary in New York.

“This is an issue that we have ignored for too long because it was of little importance, but we have had at least three occasions where the impact on performance has been disastrous. We're going to fix this.", indicated Sergio Marchionne.

Despite the disappointment of this second part of the season, the president of Ferrari remains proud of his team and the potential displayed.

“The season is not lost. There is still more to do. I won't talk about bad luck. I do not believe it. The most important thing is not to lose the confidence that allowed us to rise so high. I am delighted with what the team has achieved and I am convinced that we will be able to drastically reduce the gap with Mercedes during the next four events. without wanting to be arrogant, I think we are at the same level as Mercedes or even better”, added Sergio Marchionne.

Sebastian Vettel is 59 points behind Lewis Hamilton which could be titled at the next Grand Prix in Austin (Texas) on October 22.

Discover the analysis of the Japanese GP carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2135 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and kiosks.