Spark plug that hit Vettel bid cost £52

FERRARI have revealed that the faulty spark plug that has cost Sebastian Vettel a shot at the world title cost just £52, in a car worth millions.

The technical problem caused the German to retire four laps into last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, leaving Lewis Hamilton 59 points clear with four races remaining.

The cost of the spark plug is dwarfed by Ferrari’s racing budget of more than £350million.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne, talking about his team’s implosion for the first time, said: ‘It was a technical nonsense that had an impact on the car.’

He admitted that they had ‘ignored’ quality control, but promised: ‘We’ll fix it.’