Former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has reportedly slammed incoming F1 outfit Audi, who will take over from Sauber ahead of the 2026 season.
It has been claimed the Italian is Audi’s first-choice team principal and it is believed Binotto attended the company headquarters ahead of a sensational return to the sport.
The Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport has reported on his visit, in which Binotto ultimately rejected Audi’s advances.
“He was somewhat disappointed by what he saw at Audi,” the paper reported.
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“So much so that in some private messages he sensationally said that some of the characters he met in that meeting were ‘clowns’.”
Binotto’s F1 career came to an end in January 2023 when he was replaced by Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur.
It was far from a fairytale ending as Ferrari had been struggling to compete with Mercedes and Red Bull, plagued with difficulties that ended with Binotto’s resignation.
The Italian joined the Scuderia outfit as an engineer in 1995 before climbing the ranks and eventually leading the team.
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Ferrari have continued to struggle this season
However, things in the Ferrari camp have hardly improved.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have managed one podium between them after 7 races, which saw Leclerc finish third in Azerbaijan.
Ferrari sit fourth in the constructors on 100 points and look increasingly far off rivals Mercedes and Aston Martin who sit second and third respectively.