Mattia Binotto had been at the helm of Ferrari since 2019; the Italian team made a promising start to the 2022 season but failed to claim a win in the final 11 races of the campaign; Italian will leave role on December 31
Last Updated: 29/11/22 9:44am
Mattia Binotto has resigned as Ferrari team principal.
Binotto will leave his role on December 31 while the team expect to appoint his replacement early in 2023, with Frederic Vasseur, current boss of the Ferrari-linked Alfa Romeo, the favourite.
Ferrari appeared to be in contention to end its long wait for titles after a strong start to the 2022 season, but failed to win any of the final 11 races of the campaign amid a loss of performance, and finished a distant second to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
While the Italian team ultimately did not have the pace to compete with Red Bull, the combination of reliability issues and repeated strategy errors saw Binotto come under pressure, with rumours surfacing ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi that he would be dismissed.
At the time, Ferrari said reports that Binotto would be sacked were “totally without foundation”, but less than two weeks after that denial, the team released a statement confirming the 53-year-old’s departure.
It brings a three-year reign at the head of Formula 1’s most famous team, as well as a 28-year career in total, to an end.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
As Max Verstappen claimed another world title, take a look at Ferrari’s biggest strategic errors of the 2022 F1 season
“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” said Binotto, who had previously insisted he was going to stay for 2023.
“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 objectives 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 at this time as hard as this decision has been for me.
“I would like to thank all the people at the Gestione Sportiva who have shared this journey with me, made up of difficulties but also of great satisfaction.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Despite speculation about his job, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto remains focused on developing a good car for next season.
Ferrrai CEO Benedetto Vigna added: “I would like to thank Mattia for his many great contributions over 28 years with Ferrari and particularly for leading the team back to a position of competitiveness during this past year.
“As a result, we are in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport. Everyone here at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wishes Mattia well for the future.”
What went wrong for Binotto and who will replace him?
Binotto rose through the ranks at Ferrari, becoming head of the engine department in 2013 and then chief technical officer in 2016, before replacing Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal in 2019.
It was hoped that Binotto, a calmer presence than Arrivabene, would help Ferrari claim their first title since 2008.
Binotto’s first year in charge was controversial, with Ferrari competitive – particularly in qualifying – but having also been involved in an engine scandal, reaching a settlement with the FIA after the season.
Ferrari changed tack in 2020 with a car design that spectacularly failed, enduring their worst season in four decades and then struggling in the midfield the following season, too, when Binotto made the decision to replace four-time champion Sebastian Vettel with Carlos Sainz.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished second in the standings, says he is very proud of his team for coping with the external pressure coming into the weekend.
2022 was the big goal for Binotto and his team with all-new rules and cars – and initially, it was a test passed.
Ferrari started the new season with the fastest car, overhauling Mercedes and battling Red Bull, and Charles Leclerc won two of the first three races to lead the championship early on.
But Ferrari started to throw away wins and points with mechanical failures and, more frustratingly, strategic mistakes. Pit-stop errors and incorrect choices became a theme of Ferrari’s season and – even after Red Bull moved ahead of them with their car upgrades – it is those failures that may have cost Binotto his job.
Binotto has long-defended his team and long insisted that they are focusing on an improved 2023, although the internal and external pressure has now led to his resignation, and an opening as Ferrari’s boss.
Sky Sports in Italy report that Alfa Romeo boss Vasseur is expected to replace Binotto.
Vasseur has a strong F1 pedigree and, perhaps crucially, a strong rapport with Ferrari’s lead driver Leclerc.
Other contenders noted include Ross Brawn, Ferrari’s former technical chief, although the Englishman re-joining is extremely unlikely given he has just left an F1 motorsports role and wanted time away from the sport.
