Vettel engine survived Kvyat clashes - report

May 9 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel's engine survived his clashes with Daniil Kvyat in Russia, according to the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Last week, we reported that the gearbox aboard the German's red car was damaged in the controversial melee, but will be replaced without incurring a penalty ahead of the Spanish grand prix.

Damage to the engine, however, would have been costly for the German, as it would have moved him onto his fourth power unit out of five allocated for the whole of 2016.

But La Gazzetta said an investigation at Maranello has revealed that no damage was done.

Fiat chairman John Elkann is confident Ferrari's 2016 campaign is on track, even though Vettel is 67 points behind the lead Mercedes in the title race.

"We have a Ferrari that is constantly progressing, as we saw last year and we continue to see now," he said. "The championship is absolutely still open."

Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, however, warned that the fabled Italian team has a difficult challenge ahead.

"Ferrari has made some important steps forward," said the FIA president, "now they have to win races which is not easy when you face a very professional team (Mercedes) that does a fantastic job."

Todt was also asked about the current governance and decision-making problems in F1, answering: "There will probably be an evolution and at the appropriate time we will see it."