Ferrari confirmed on Tuesday that Mattia Binotto will step down from his position as Team Principal at the end of the year, following weeks of rumors about his future.F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto looks at why he left, who might take his place, and what Binotto will do next after speaking with multiple sources. Ferrari’s goal at the beginning of this campaign was to use the revolutionary new technical regulations to get back to winning races and fighting at the front of the field.
The Italian team achieved this feat under Binotto’s leadership.
They achieved 20 podium finishes, 12 pole positions, and four Grand Prix wins.They started the year with the fastest car, but their chances of winning the championship waned due to unreliability and strategic mistakes. Despite this, they still finished second in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, which was a big improvement over 2021.
However, just over a week after the championship was over, Binotto announced that he would be leaving the company to which he had devoted the previous 28 years, beginning as an engineer and progressing to the top position, at a time when Ferrari was on the verge of achieving their goal of becoming world champions once more.
According to sources, Binotto’s position was weakened when Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri resigned immediately in December 2020.
Both Binotto Camillieri and Sergio Marchionne, who came before him, were ardent supporters of Binotto.They supported him in his efforts to improve Ferrari’s fortunes and believed in his abilities.
They were aware of the difficulties that Formula One presented, as well as the fact that it would take some time for Binotto to establish the framework necessary for achieving sustained success.They could shield him both internally and externally, letting him concentrate on his work.
Binotto found himself somewhat alone after Camillieri left.The pressure increased despite the biggest job in Formula One and the absence of that support.
He continued along the route he believed to be the right one.He focused on getting rid of the blame culture at the company, which had held back Ferrari’s progress for a long time.
The Italian preferred to discuss matters privately rather than making public criticisms of the team.
Instead of seeking an external scapegoat, he would offer internal support.
It indicated that while some were envious of him, as is common in sports and business when a person moves up the corporate ladder, the majority believed in his vision and preferred to work for him.
Under his administration, Ferrari redesignd their windtunnel – which had long kept them down regarding improvement.He also gave his approval to the cutting-edge simulator, which is now the best in Formula 1.
In addition, he was in charge of making significant progress on the power unit, which in 2020 was the worst of the four manufacturers and possibly as much as a second behind the pace, but is now competitive with the Honda/Red Bull Powertrains unit, which leads the class.
But he did it all under a lot of pressure.
Binotto was not flawless.He acknowledges his errors.This year, the team was unreliable and made a number of strategic mistakes.Red Bull was able to extend its lead and Mercedes was able to catch up at the end of the season because the development curve slowed significantly.
Binotto, however, was of the opinion that his position was secure for the time being heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi after speaking with Ferrari chairman John Elkann on the Wednesday prior to the race.
He believed he would be given the opportunity to build on the progress of 2022 in 2023 and that if he did not deliver the championship, maybe it would be the end of the road, despite the fact that he knew Ferrari were looking for candidates to replace him. However, it is understood that they never explicitly told him this.
The fact that Ferrari claimed that reports that he would be replaced were “totally without foundation” only served to reinforce his belief.
However, according to sources, Ferrari senior management silenced him upon his return from Abu Dhabi.He realized right then that his time was drawing to a close.He decided to resign and take control.