It is truly a troubling time for Ferrari, who have been swapping team principals at a concerning rate, with Mattia Binotto the latest to lose his place.
Given how successful the Scuderia have been in the entirety of their F1 history, the most recent decade has been a difficult watch for Ferrari fans.
Remarkably, the Maranello-based side haven’t claimed a Constructors’ title since 2008, whilst their wait for a Drivers’ Championship has gone on since 2007.
The hybrid era has, on the whole, been unsuccessful for the Italians, with 2022 having perhaps been their best chance yet of returning to their glory days.
READ: Mattia Binotto wasn’t on speaking terms with Charles Leclerc
After Charles Leclerc claimed two wins from the opening three races, people quickly began to believe that this year would finally see the real return of Ferrari; alas, it wasn’t to be.
Their season quickly unravelled embarrassingly, through an onslaught of driver, reliability, and strategic errors.
It’s the latter of those that has caused the most frustration this season, with Leclerc having lost at least three probable wins following a strategic blunder.
Whilst they did seal second in both the Drivers’ and the Constructors’ Championships, Binotto announced on Tuesday that he would be departing from the team at the end of December, after spending 28 years with the team.
It means Ferrari president John Elkann will need to find a new team principal for the team, one who he’ll be hoping can take them to championship glory.
Remarkably, Ferrari’s first Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship came 61 years ago in 1961, thanks to a certain Phil Hill.
Hill claimed his only Drivers’ title in 1961, with the help of the brilliant Ferrari 156 F1, also known, as ‘Sharknose’.
The car was given this name due to its air intake looking like a shark’s nostrils, a very interesting comparison!
In his title-winning year, Hill claimed six podiums from the eight races he entered, with two of those podiums having been victories at the Belgian and Italian Grand Prix.
READ: Lewis Hamilton: ‘Listen to the words certain individuals say about me’
The 156 was built to comply with the new regulations at the time, which saw the engines reduced from 2.5 litres to just 1.5 litres.
Had Ferrari claimed the 2022 title, then it would’ve been somewhat reminiscent of 1961, given that both years saw new regulations.
Ferrari arguably had the best car at some races in the recently completed campaign, something which should give them a strong foundation to build from going into 2023.