Ex-Formula 1 driver Rene Arnoux has labelled Mattia Binotto’s behaviour whilst he was Ferrari’s team principal as “intolerable”, with the Frenchman admitting he has never been on “Binotto’s side”.
Binotto has endured a mixed four-year spell as the Italians team principal, with his time as the side’s boss and at Ferrari as a whole having concluded on December 30.
The Italian’s resignation from Ferrari following the conclusion of the 2022 season, which Ferrari claimed second spot in, brought a 28-year relationship to an end, with Binotto having joined the Scuderia in 1995.
His appointment as team boss four years ago was immediately questioned, with many having labelled Binotto as not being a leader.
READ: McLaren boss reveals 2023 Ferrari rumour
There have been signs of this in the last four years, with the Italian having failed to make any changes this year, despite the Maranello-based outfit having endured what seemed like an endless amount of strategic errors.
For Arnoux, the mistakes that Binotto made whilst occupying the team principal role were “unforgivable”, with the Frenchman seemingly pleased to see a change of leadership at Ferrari.
“The mistakes he [Binotto] made for me in Formula 1 are unforgivable,” Arnoux told La Gazetta Dello Sport.
“I’ve never been on Binotto’s side. Someone who says ‘It will be better next year, it will be better next year’, doesn’t deserve that place.”
Arnoux went on to suggest that the Italian should’ve been fired “several years ago”, something many others questioned following Ferrari’s collapse to the midfield in 2020.
“I’ve said it several times, behaviour like his is intolerable when you’re at the helm of the best team in the world,” Arnoux added.
“You may or may not like Jean Todt, but he would never have said ‘It will be better next year’.
READ: George Russell defeating Lewis Hamilton is more impressive than Nico Rosberg
“He won, and when he won he thought about next year. But there are few Todts and Ron Dennis’ around.”
Replacing Binotto at Ferrari is experienced team principal Frederic Vasseur, who is the first Frenchman to take on the Ferrari job since Jean Todt, who departed the Italians at the start of 2009.
Vasseur has departed the team principal gig at Alfa Romeo to take up the role at Maranello, where he will be reunited with Charles Leclerc, who he worked with during the Monegasque’s junior days and his rookie season in F1.