With Mattia Binotto having less than a month left now as Ferrari’s team principal, questions have begun to be asked as to just how the Italian who worked for the Scuderia for 28 years, has come to call it quits.
Following speculation and reports from Italian media dating back to before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was finally confirmed by Binotto and Ferrari that he would be resigning from his role, with his official last day set for the 31 December.
It marks a sad end to a relationship that has been the Italian’s life for so long, given that he joined the Maranello-based outfit in 1995 as an intern originally.
A year full of criticism appears to have taken its toll on Binotto, though, who released the following statement Tuesday morning announcing his departing from “a company that I love”.
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“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” a statement from Binotto read.
“I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set.
“I leave a united and growing team. A strong team, ready, I’m sure, to achieve the highest goals, to which I wish all the best for the future. I think it is right to take this step at this time as hard as this decision has been for me.”
Binotto has endured the brunt of the backlash for the team’s countless strategic errors in 2022, with the Italian having remained defiant to avoid making any changes to the team’s personnel.
Seemingly, he perhaps feels like it’s him who needs to be changed, with Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur the favourite to take his place.
Binotto’s relationship with Ferrari president John Elkann is also believed to have been a large reason as to why he decided it was time to leave, with Italian newspaper Calciomercato likening Binotto and Elkann to “water and oil”.
Elkann’s leadership skills have been heavily scrutinised, with the president rarely seen in the Ferrari garage.
He has been very critical of Binotto recently, though, with some reporting that the pair “never” had a relationship.
Following the first half of the season, Elkann publicly called for Binotto “to improve”, with the Ferrari president stating that the team were making “too many mistakes” for his liking.
“There is no doubt that the work in Maranello, in the garage, on the pit wall and at the wheel needs to improve,” Elkann told La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the second half of the season.
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“We must continue to make progress and that goes for the mechanics, the engineers, the drivers and obviously, the entire management team, including the team principal.
“We have seen that there are still too many mistakes when it comes to reliability, driving and strategy.”
According to L’Equipe, it’s not just Elkann that Binotto had issues with, after suggesting that Binotto wasn’t on speaking terms to star driver Charles Leclerc, someone who would likely be treated as a number one driver under Vasseur.