Ferrari's season 'not lost' says Marchionne

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While everyone was expecting Sergio Marchionne to blast once again the Scuderia after another failed weekend, the Ferrari chairman refrained from adding insult to injury.

Sebastian Vettel's demise after four laps yesterday at Suzuka likely crushed his chances to win the world championship this season.

Marchionne however, vowed to fight on.

"The season is not lost, there’s still all to do," he said as he visited the New York Stock Exchange for Ferrari's 70th anniversary.

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"I won’t talk of bad luck, I don’t believe in it," he added.

"The important thing is to not lose the confidence that has brought us so far.

"I‘m delighted with what the team has done and I have tremendous confidence that in the next four races we will be able to close most of the Mercedes gap."

"There's still time to catch up, the car has made enormous steps forward. Ferrari is on a par if not superior to Mercedes and we can't give up."

Marchionne also said that Vettel's engine issues at the start of Sunday's race were due to a "59-euro spark plug that impacted a car that costs millions of euros".

"It’s a problem we’ve probably ignored over time because it was never of much importance but now we’ve had at least three occasions where we’ve really seen the devastating impact on performance. We’ll fix it," he said.

Following Lewis Hamilton's win in Japan - the Mercedes driver's fourth in five races, Vettel has now drifted 59 points behind his rival in the drivers' standings.

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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.