Indiscretions, denials, positions taken and apparent tranquility: this is the situation up to now in Maranello, where many would have given reassurances about the future. However, the confirmation from Scuderia Ferrari regarding the most important farewell, that of Mattia binotto. The now ex Team Principal leaves the team, resigning, in which he made his debut in the engine department of the test team way back in 1995, and frees up the place for an extremely important replacement. But let's go in order.
The rumors about Binotto and the denial
On 15 November, as soon as we entered the last week of the 2022 season, news began to circulate on social networks: Mattia Binotto would be about to be discharged and replaced by Fréderic Vasseur, currently Team Principal of Alfa Romeo. All newspapers and web pages are based on a article di Journal of Sport signed by Luigi Perna and Giusto Ferronato. According to this article, the president of Ferrari, John Elkann, would have decided to give Binotto a break after a season in which the team had the potential to aim for the title. The name of Vasseur would be a direct consequence of the excellent relationship that the Frenchman would have with the top management of Stellantis, the group to which the Alfa Romeo brand belongs.
Following the increase in these rumors, Scuderia Ferrari moves on all social networks to release a communique in which he reassures himself on the position of Mattia Binotto, asserting that the speculations on the dismissal are “totally baseless rumours”.
The change of course and the farewell of Binotto
However, something changes after the last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, where in any case Ferrari looks good, starting from the second row with both drivers and finishing second with Leclerc and fourth with Sainz, securing second place in the championship for both the Scuderia and the monaco. There is talk of broken balances, of frost between Binotto and Leclerc, of extreme difficulties for the engineer from Lausanne in being followed by the team from every point of view. The same team principal who finally announced his resignation. This the press release from Scuderia Ferrari:
“Ferrari NV (NYSE/EXM: RACE) (“Ferrari” or the “Company”) announces that it has accepted the resignation of Mattia Binotto who will leave his role as Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari on December 31st.
Ferrari, Vigna: "I thank Mattia for everything"
Benedetto Vigna commented"I would like to thank Mattia for his many important contributions over his 28 years at Ferrari, and in particular for his driving which brought the team back to being competitive last season. Thanks to this, we are in a strong position to renew our commitment, first and foremost to our incredible fans around the world, to win the most important trophy in motorsport. All of us at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wish Mattia all the best for the future".
Mattia Binotto declared"With the regret that this entails, I have decided to end my collaboration with Ferrari. I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the goals set. I leave a united and growing team. A strong team, ready, I'm sure, to achieve the highest goals, to which I wish all the best for the future. I think it is right to take this step, although it was a difficult decision for me. I thank all the people of the Gestione Sportiva who have shared this journey with me, made up of difficulties but also of great satisfactions.”
The process to identify the new Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari begins now, which should end in the new year.”.
And now, dear Ferrari, what do we do?
The question is a must, given the previous substitutions within the Reds that haven't exactly done the team any good. As mentioned in one of our live streams on Twitch, in the period between 1983 and 1999 – i.e. the lack of constructor titles between Tambay-Arnoux and Schumacher-Salo-Irvine – Ferrari saw six team principals take turns: Marco Piccinini (1978 – 1988 ), Pier Giorgio Cappelli (1988), Cesare Fiorio (1989 - 1991), Claudio Lombardi (1991 - 1992), Sante Ghedini (1992 - 1993) and Jean Todt, recruited by Ferrari precisely to manage the team situation. Todt is given confidence and, with a profound restructuring and a work that lead Ferrari again to the victory of races, then world titles.
What modern Ferrari lacks is precisely trusting a single figure and seeing how the situation evolves in the long term. After Todt's farewell, Ferrari has seen Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiacci (lasted from April to November 2014), Maurizio Arrivabene (under whom the first results have started to arrive in the last period as Team Principal) and now Mattia Binotto , who perhaps pays a considerable price given the start of the world championship.
However, the doubt remains: given that the F1-75 was born well and stalled only due to the budget cap issue, why not continue with Binotto for at least another year and see the fruit of the work that was gradually coming out? Why cut it at the first useful opportunity – the end of the season – to launch yourself with someone unknown to the Scuderia and who could upset everything good that had been done so far?
Posterity will judge. For now, Ferrari salutes one of the longest serving members within the team with his 27 years of service.
RELEASE SOURCE: Scuderia Ferrari
