Frederic Vasseur: Rumour of Ferrari's 30bhp engine gain 'just a joke'

A rumour originating in Italy claimed that Scuderia had released an extra 30bhp from their F1 power unit during the winter break.

However, Vasseur dismissed the claim as pure fiction, and went on to explain that it's not power that Ferrari need, but rather improved reliability.

"The numbers, I don't know where the numbers are coming from, but it's just a joke," said Vasseur.

"We made some steps but it is just about reliability. I think the performance of the engine was not an issue at all. The issue was the reliability, and the first target is to fix it.

"So far it looks OK, but the reality on the track is a different aspect.

"I think there are a couple of issues that the team suffered and it is not just true for Ferrari, but in terms of reliability it is also coming from the track operation, bouncing and vibration. Everybody will have a much better picture in Bahrain.

"I think and I hope that it's under control today, that they did what looks to be a good job over the last couple of months."