Ferrari targeting quality control improvements - Binotto

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Ferrari tech boss Mattia Binotto says the team will improve its quality control procedures following the Scuderia's recent poor run of reliability.

In Malaysia last weekend, Sebastian Vettel was deprived of running in qualifying after an engine failure while team mate Kimi Raikkonen was hit with a similar technical issue on the grid the next day which prevented the Finn from starting the race.

In the aftermath of the Sepang disaster, an angry Sergio Marchionne vowed to undertake changes in Ferrari's engine department. Binotto has since revealed that quality control is the team's main focus.

"I think that to improve your performance you need to improve your car and your package but as well you need to improve your organisation," he said.

"What we are considering is something that was already planned: it is to reinforce our quality [control] department. It is as simple as that.

"Our quality department is already somehow reinforced and that is the change of organisation that our chairman was meaning."

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While specific and diligent, Ferrari's efforts can't guarantee a complete termination of the problem it experienced in Sepang.

"You can never be fully confident of solving the problems you have got," he said.

"It's true that the problems we had were completely unexpected; there are problems that we did not experience both at the dyno or at the race track during the entire season.

"There were some quality issues with the parts. We failed an inlet manifold of the engine, from the compressor to the cylinder heads, and it happened twice.

"We had the same problem with Sebastian in qualifying and Kimi in the race.

"Obviously it happened twice in Malaysia, in an entire season, so certainly some boundary conditions have affected the overall reliability. This is something that we are analysing.

"In parallel we reinforce the components, but it's something which we still need to better understand."

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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.