Zoom Ferrari confident con-rod issues now resolved

Last week Ferrari took part in the penultimate test session of the season at the Monza circuit. This session was aimed primarily at preparation for the Italian Grand Prix and the specific demands of that track.

The majority of preparation for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix actually took place prior to the summer break at the Jerez test. Some aspects of the car's package for use at Spa Francorchamps, both aero and mechanical, were then evaluated in this most recent Monza test and there will be some aerodynamic updates on track this weekend.

At Monza, much of the work was focussed on reliability, especially on the engine front. The results were generally positive as Ferrari engines, including those of the customer teams of Force India and Toro Rosso, completed four long runs, and there were no engine related problems. This was down to the fact the team had already reacted after Budapest, where Felipe Massa first encountered the con-rod problem which cost him victory.

The engines assembled thereafter, for Massa and the customer teams in Valencia and for Kimi Raikkonen prior to Spa, have con-rods from a different batch to those that caused the two engines failures in Budapest and Valencia.

A great deal of time and effort went into this, both within Ferrari's own engine department and at external supplier, Pankl who worked very hard to isolate this problem.

With the title race looking to be a close affair, Ferrari knows that they cannot afford further reliability issues.

E.A. © CAPSIS International