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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

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.

“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.”

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.

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.

Lando Norris finished seventh in the world championship, finishing best of the rest behind the drivers of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes; the 23-year-old is contracted to McLaren until 2025 but says “time will tell” regarding his future with the team

Lando Norris insists he maintains “faith” in McLaren, despite warning the team “can’t be satisfied” with their 2022 Formula 1 campaign.

The 23-year-old Brit drove superbly to finish seventh in the world championship as the best of the rest behind the drivers of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, but McLaren were beaten to fourth in the constructors’ championship by Alpine.

Norris penned a new contract with McLaren before the start of the 2022 season that ties him to the team until the end of 2025, but the quality of his performances undoubtedly make him one of the most desirable drivers on the grid.

Asked by Sky Sports F1 during the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend about his future with the team, Norris said: “It’s just faith, it’s just honesty – that’s the main thing I need.

“I’m not a guy who likes BS or likes people trying to make me happy, I like people just being honest.

“I have faith in McLaren, I have faith in the guys I work with, the whole team.

“Time will tell. You can never be 100 per cent certain where you’re going to be, but you can have a good shot at it.”

The 2022 season saw the introduction of radical new design regulations, which in theory could have given McLaren a chance to close the gap to the front-runners, but issues relating to the overheating of the car’s brakes put the British team on the back foot almost immediately.

Norris highlighted his brilliance by becoming the only driver outside of the top three teams to claim a podium during the season. He also finished 85 points clear of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, and 30 points clear of his nearest challenger for seventh, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

“I mean, from where we were in race one, I think we’ve done a good job – we recovered well,” Norris said.

“If I think of before this season, did we achieve in 2022 what we should have done as McLaren? Honestly, it’s no.

“If we want to do well and we want to be champions at some point and we want to win races, we can’t be satisfied with where we have been this season, but we can certainly be satisfied with the progress we’ve made.

“From the mechanics with our pit stops, our strategy, the whole team’s work ethic – so many things are working well, it’s just we need a slightly better car, that’s all.”

Max Verstappen won Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi to claim a record-extending 15th victory of the campaign, having previously wrapped up his second successive title; 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg: “He’s already one of the best of all-time and I think, he’s only getting started.”

Max Verstappen has already established himself as one of Formula 1’s “best of all time” after delivering “one of the greatest driving seasons ever seen”, according to former world champion Nico Rosberg.

Verstappen won Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi to claim a record-extending 15th victory of the campaign, having previously wrapped up his second successive title with four races to spare.

The 25-year-old Dutchman’s dominant triumph came after a concerning start to the season, which saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc open up a 46-point lead as Verstappen retired from two of the first three races.

“He is an incredible driver,” 2016 world champion Rosberg told Sky Sports F1’s Any Driven Monday.

“I think it’s easy to say even now that’s he’s going to be one of the best of all time, if you look at the statistics he actually even is now.”

Verstappen’s 2022 victories took his career tally to 35, moving him up to sixth on the sport’s all-time list, which is topped by Lewis Hamilton with 103.

“He’s a double world champion with all of the race wins that he has, more than (Fernando) Alonso,” Rosberg continued.

“He’s already one of the best of all time and I think, he’s only getting started.

“He’s going to confirm that in the next decade, certainly. His level of driving is phenomenal and it’s great to witness that.”

Verstappen’s many victories came in all forms, with wins from seven different positions on the grid, including a memorable triumph from 14th at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ferrari pushed Red Bull hard, particularly during the first half of the season, with Leclerc ending the year with nine pole positions to Verstappen’s seven.

However, reliability issues, strategic blunders and driver errors from the Italian team on race days were taken advantage of by the ruthless Verstappen, who hardly put a foot wrong all season.

“We need to remember also, it’s not like from the get-go this year his car was miles quicker than everyone else’s,” Rosberg said.

“The Ferrari was the quickest car in the beginning of the season and still, he got this incredible 15 wins and really destroyed the opposition in that way.

“If you look at the points, he scored 146 more than anybody else, it’s unreal. It’s one of the greatest driving seasons we’ve ever seen certainly.”

Sergio Perez outpaced Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to top final practice at the Yas Marina Circuit; Lewis Hamilton under investigation for failing to slow under red flag; watch Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying later on Saturday live at 2pm, with build-up from 1.15pm

Sergio Perez outpaced Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to top final practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton was left facing a stewards investigation for failing to slow under a red flag.

There was little surprise that constructors’ champions Red Bull remained a step ahead of their rivals at the Yas Marina Circuit, but Perez being 0.152s clear of world champion Verstappen with a 1:24.982 was certainly unexpected.

Mercedes were hoping overnight setup changes would help them close the gap to Red Bull after Verstappen had topped second practice on Friday, but Hamilton was more than two tenths back from Perez, with team-mate George Russell further back in fourth.

Hamilton faces a nervous wait – and likely meeting with the stewards – after the session, having come under investigation for failing to slow down after a failure on Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri triggered a red flag.

Replays suggested Hamilton may not have been aware of the red flag as he overtook McLaren’s Lando Norris, but the seven-time world champion could now face a grid penalty, which would harm his faint hopes of sealing a first victory of the campaign in the season finale.

Norris, meanwhile, led a strong showing from McLaren to take fifth ahead of Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo behind them in eighth.

While the session provides encouragement to Perez as he seeks to beat Leclerc to second in the drivers’ championship, the fact it was conducted in hot sunshine and daylight means it is not representative of the night-time conditions Qualifying and the race will be run in.

However, the fact that Red Bull looked equally – if not more – strong under the lights on Friday, is an ominous sign for their rivals.

Ferrari, whose team principal Mattia Binotto is facing continued speculation over his job security, appeared a step behind both Red Bull and Mercedes, with Leclerc heard complaining about his engine during the session.

More to follow…

The series will start in 2023 and F1 says it will be an ‘extra route’ for young women alongside W Series, the all-female championship that is aiming to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign shortened amid financial difficulties

Formula 1 has announced the launch of its own all-female driver category, the F1 Academy, which the sport hopes will eventually lead to a woman racer on the grid.

The series will start in 2023 and F1 say it will be an ‘extra route’ up the motorsport pyramid for young women alongside W Series, the similarly all-female championship that is aiming to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign shortened amid financial difficulties.

It is hoped the F1 Academy will quickly get a woman into Formula 3, and help Formula 2 and Formula 1 opportunities in the future.

The last female to race in F1 was Lella Lombardi back in 1976.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport,” said Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1.

“The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed.”

The F1 Academy will feature five teams, run by current F2 and F3 teams, with three cars each to make up a 15-car grid. The inaugural season will have 21 races, with seven three-race events, and is likely to include at least F1 race weekend.

Like W Series, all drivers will compete in the same Formula 4 chassis.

F1 say they will be providing funding of €150,000 (£130,000) for each car, which will need to be matched by drivers to enter. They say that is a ‘fraction of the usual costs to enter comparable series’, and the rest of the budget will be provided by the teams.

The statement adds: ‘Formula 1 wants to ensure aspiring female drivers have the best opportunities to reach their potential with an important first step of getting into Formula 3 and progressing through the ranks.

‘The W Series continues to provide a great platform for drivers and the F1 Academy is intended to add an extra route for the next generation of young female drivers’.

The series will be headed up by Bruno Michel, who has ran F2 and F3, and he said: “I am very excited to launch this new category. Diversity is extremely important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels.

“I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid. Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums.

“The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels.”

W Series welcome F1 Academy

CEO of W Series Catherine Bond Muir welcomed the announcement.

“W Series created the first platform for women in motorsport which has inspired young girls all around the world since our inaugural season in 2019. It is fantastic to see this grow as a result of our pioneering work.

“W Series welcomes any initiative which shares our ambition to provide more opportunities for women in motorsport,” said Bond Muir.

“Our objective from the start has always been to increase the talent pool of women racing drivers, and the addition of the F1 Academy as a feeder to W Series and other series is a further step in inspiring the next generation to progress up the motorsport ladder.

“We are looking forward to finalising W Series’ plans for 2023 and beyond, providing exciting racing and entertaining our fans around the world.

“Our mission is still clear: to offer women racing drivers a platform to race globally at the pinnacle of women’s motorsport, and in doing so continue to spread our message further and wider.”