F1 News, Reports and Race Results

'Angry' Marchionne raps Ferrari's knuckles and makes changes

Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne is taking measures to ensure the Italian squad does not endure another reliability disaster such as the one it endured in Sepang.

The Scuderia's nightmare weekend started with an engine failure in qualifying for Sebastian Vettel and ended with the demise of Kimi Raikkonen on the Malaysia GP grid after another power unit breakdown.

While Ferrari has identified the cause of the failures, Marchionne vowed to implement changes in the manufacturer's engine department and its "young team" of engineers.

"Yesterday both Ferraris could have won the race," said Marchionne, speaking at a public event in Italy on Monday.

"That's a fact. It could have also been the same at Singapore, that's another fact.

"It's also a fact that we've got some issues with our power units because we have a young team, but also because the quality of the components is not at the right level for a race car.

"We are intervening and we are working on it. It's almost fortunate we haven't had that problem until the Malaysian GP.

"Now we're working on the quality department and making some organisational changes. Having this kind of problem during the race make us angry.

"That's not a big problem if this kind of issue appears in our factory, but it's really ugly when you're in second place on the grid and you can't start the race."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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