Ferrari’s Christmas card list is set to be the largest in the Maranello-based side’s history, with the Italians in the process of deciding who to try and sign as their next team principal.
Searching for a new team boss is no unfamiliar task for the Scuderia, who appear to be repeating the process every few years.
Mattia Binotto is the latest to depart the role; at least he officially will at the end of the year.
Binotto’s departure marks the end of a four-year spell as team principal and a 28-year spell as a member of the team, which he joined as an intern originally in 1995.
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There was ultimately no trust between Binotto and Ferrari president John Elkann, who’s rarely seen in the F1 paddock unlike previous Ferrari presidents.
The duo have been compared to being like “water and oil”, with the media having also given Binotto a difficult time in 2022.
Binotto faced the bulk of the criticism for the team’s endless strategic errors, which robbed Charles Leclerc of several victories.
The team principal was questioned several times if he needed to make personnel changes within the team to solve the strategic blunders, something he consistently denied all year.
It’s clearly gotten to a point, though, where Binotto believes its him who needs to be changed, with him having handed in his resignation rather than having been sacked.
Most expect Binotto to be back in the sport in no time at all, given that he is highly regarded as an incredible technical director.
According to reports, Audi are already in discussions with Binotto, as are Mercedes.
So, who is in the running to replace Binotto as Ferrari team principal in 2023?
The favourite by a country mile is Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur, who already has a strong relationship with both Ferrari and Leclerc.
Vasseur, of course, gave the Monegasque his F1 debut in 2018, with the pair still seen regularly in deep conversation with each other in the paddock.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is another to have been linked to the role, as is McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl; however, the duo have expressed their commitment to their current team.
Former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn has also been linked to the role, although, he’s distanced himself from it due to having retired from the sport following a stint as its managing director.
That leads on to the next contender who’s been added to the list, former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger.
Berger raced for the Scuderia during two stints, firstly from 1987-1989 and then from 1993-1995.
The Austrian famously claimed five victories whilst racing for Ferrari and has recently been the promoter of DTM since 2017.
His name has been linked to the vacant role at Ferrari after Berger announced that the rights to the DTM had been sold to ADAC, the German automobile club.
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Speaking about the change of rights holder, Berger hailed it as “good news” for the championship, with it now being in the “right hands”.
“This is good news for the huge DTM fan community,” Berger told Kurier.
“I am firmly convinced that the brand is in the right hands with the ADAC. They have the necessary know-how to offer all motorsport fans a unique experience in the future.”