The chaos that ensued after the press release of Binotto's resignation reigns supreme on the planet Formula 1. To date, Maranello's top management is doing no better without a team principal, but with the aim of winning again as soon as possible, not a small dissonance. Less than a hundred days separate us from the start of the 2023 season, and the red sails on sight.
It was Binotto: a period of few ups and downs
The work of Mattia Binotto in these four years did not impress. Arrived at the top of the team replacing Maurizio Arrivabene, the Italian-Swiss led a team with a single-seater capable of some stage successes for more than half of the season. However, following investigations by the Federation who have defined the engine of the SF90 to the limits of legality, the TP has ripped a secret deal that forced the team into two of its worst years of the modern era.
After the event identifiable as the umpteenth symptom of the increasingly dubious political weight of the red, in Maranello we got to work well in advance of the competitors in order to start the new regulatory era on the right foot. The F1-75, nicknamed 'the beast', was the reference car for almost half of the season, before moving to third force towards the end of the championship. Overtaking by those who fought until the last race of 2021 was the finger in the sore in an already uphill season.
Right or wrong: that's why and too soon to tell
That current is the classic situation of rift between the opinions of enthusiasts: there are those who think that Binotto's exit from the scene is a must, and those who believe that giving continuity to the project was the way to salvation. The reality is more complex. What is needed now is time, the only true judge of the decisions of the top management. However, if you want to go too far in giving a label to Binotto's output, one must first consider the prospects, and its coronation happened four years ago...
The management of the red, perhaps, has chosen a inopportune moment to accept the team principal's resignation, but why? The reasons are mainly two. The first: Matthias Binotto is still in charge of the 2023 single-seater project, and the arrival of a replacement just before the start of the season would be destabilizing. The newcomer would find himself in his hands a project created under the supervision of a stranger, with the additional commitment of having to adapt to completely new mechanics in a very short time. The second: Ferrari broke off relations, in fact, without having a name to replace Binotto, or rather two. Yes why the team will not only need a new team principal, but also a new technical director – as Binotto embodied both figures – and the names on the market are few and of an unsatisfying quality.
Did Binotto deserve a last chance?
Mattia Binotto was probably not the most suitable leader of all, in short, he made his mistakes, like the dubious management of pilots,inability to delegate responsibilities, and the little political weight - see the story of the directive that scuttled the F1-75 – . However, the project started in January of 2021 was almost reached maturity. In such a delicate situation with opponents now of the same level, if not better, give the Binotto management one last chance to compete for the title in the best conditions it wasn't such a crazy idea. In the event of a debacle, then, perhaps a replacement could have been made, but the relationship ending a year earlier than the promises made, it's like taking a loss for granted.
The error could be upstream
A little while ago we mentioned the coronation of Binotto. Here, perhaps, it is precisely there that the leadership of the red has something to recriminate. The engineer's rise to the role of team boss was certainly not Maranello's best idea. Failures were not lacking, and this led Ferrari to have to make a decision at the most delicate moment. The replacement of Binotto, looking at what history teaches, will not bring success in the short term, and with this they can be seen two imminent risks: the first concerns the possible extension by a possible top team eager to grab the stock of valuable information in Binotto's hands; the second, however, concerns the possibility of losing the spearhead of the current pony, number 16.

Could the redhead lose Leclerc?
It's not impossible, indeed. With a contract expiring in 2024, if Ferrari will continue to trudge, it would be understandable if the Monegasque considered moving to other shores to aim for the title. At the moment, neither Mercedes nor Red Bull are in a position to welcome the little prince with open arms, but in Formula 1 it is known, the beating of a butterfly's wings is enough for a hurricane to be created. Ferrari found itself having to decide between Binotto and Leclerc, e it cannot be excluded that he will find himself losing both if the umpteenth replacement of the team leader does not bear fruit.
A replacement is missing, Ferrari is on the high seas
The first thing to make sure of when replacing a figure in the team, especially if important, it is the inclusion of a replacement at least at the same level. At the moment the team sees in the team principal ofAlfa Romeo Frederic Vasseur the number one candidatebut will that be enough? The redhead is stalling, and this sends us a signal: Vasseur may not fully satisfy management, and the absence of a facsimile of Wolff and Horner on the market slows down the search for the ideal candidate.
The team pays the price, at the mercy of fate, despite everything being ready for the year to come. The change of working methods , replacement of other important figures could present a rather high bill in the short to medium term. The leadership has a hot potato on its hands, and it will not be easy, in this pressing situation, lay the foundations to achieve a better result than second place this year, given that this seems to be President Elkann's intention.