With the pressure mounting on Ferrari to make changes following a below par end to the season, the Scuderia will be on the hunt for a new team principal after accepting the resignation of Mattia Binotto.
The Swiss has been in the role since 2019 but has failed to end Ferrari’s title drought, dating back to 2008, and has generally underwhelmed in his time in charge of arguably Formula 1’s most iconic team.
Ferrari publicly backed their boss in a recent statement, however in a shock turn of events, Binotto has announced his resignation from his position at the team and is set to depart at the end of the calendar year.
Rumours are circulating that the team might look to Alfa Romeo’s Fred Vasseur to fill the gap left by Binotto’s departure, with the German being spotting in Abu Dhabi speaking privately with the Swiss as the pressure mounted on the Ferrari boss.
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Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko has now given his take on proceedings, suggesting that Ferrari will chose to take a different approach to replacing Binotto than what is being reported in the media.
“I can imagine that Ferrari will give the job to one of its own men,” suggested the Austrian when asked about Ferrari’s position.
Marko’s opinion is not too much of a longshot, with Binotto himself being promoted from within, rather than being headhunted from elsewhere.
The Swiss joined Ferrari all the way back in 1995 to work in the engine department, before being promoted to chief technical officer in 2016, and team principal in 2019.
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Binotto was a highly rated member of staff at Ferrari, so if the team chose to take a similar approach with his replacement then Laurent Mekies would most likely be the favourite for the job.
The Ferrari deputy could make a smooth transition to the team principal role, already being heavily involved in what goes on behind the scenes with the Scuderia, however with the team underperforming it would be a strange decision to promote someone so involved in the shortcomings to lead the team.
Fred Vasseur still remains the favourite for the job, but with the Audi project on the horizon for Alfa Romeo and Sauber, it remains to be seen whether the German would want to leave such a promising project for a role at a bigger team.