Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto resigned from his role earlier this week, after weeks of speculation about his future.
2022 was a strange year for Ferrari, with the side having been their own worst enemy for the vast majority of the year.
There is no doubt that the side had an excellent car; alas, it was their own decisions which let them down.
Poor strategic calls saw Charles Leclerc in particular robbed of several victories, which ultimately removed him from title contention.
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“The previous two years have been super frustrating,” Leclerc said.
Binotto has seemingly been blamed for Ferrari’s incompetence this season, with removal from his job the speculated punishment.
Newspaper Corriere della Sera have also revealed that some of the reports regarding Binotto’s future have come from Leclerc’s “entourage”, leaving some to question if the Monegasque is playing a part in the Italian’s departure.
Should Binotto truly be leaving Ferrari, then it will mark the end of a 28-year relationship, with the Italian having joined the Scuderia as an intern in 1995.
Whilst many pundits do believe it’s right for Binotto to be replaced as team principal, some have questioned if it’s the right call for him to leave the Maranello-based side altogether.
“Binotto should not be in charge of the team, but I would have left him as technical director,” said Russian F1 commentator for Match TV, Alexey Popov.
“Maybe he didn’t want to.”
Ex-Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos is also certain that “something will change” at Ferrari, due to the side having missed out on the title by such a large margin – over 200 points in the Constructors’ – despite having a “winning car”.
“It’s still gossip, but where there’s smoke there’s fire,” Doornbos told Ziggo Sport.
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“I’m sure something will change. When you discover in winter testing that you have a winning car and you then throw away 100 points because of management mistakes, that’s enough.”
Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur is the favourite to replace Binotto as Ferrari’s boss, with the Frenchman already having a strong relationship with both the manufacturer and Leclerc.
It is expected that Leclerc could be made the team’s number one driver if Vasseur is brought into the role; however, former Ferrari team principal Ross Brawn has also been linked to the role.