Thanks to the Drive To Survive era of Formula 1, it’s damn near impossible for the motorsport’s biggest developments to remain a secret prior to becoming official. And the long-rumoured resignation of Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has been no different.
“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” confirmed Mattia Binotto.
“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.”
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Binotto originally joined the team as an engine engineer back in 1995 and was instrumental in helping the legendary Michael Schumacher secure five of his seven world drivers’ championship titles, along with Ferrari’s six world constructors’ championship titles from 1999 to 2008.
Ahead of the 2019 season, Binotto was promoted to Team Principal – a role that proved far more challenging and yielded considerably less success than anticipated. After weathering the storm of 2020 and 2021, there was a glimmer of hope during the early days of this past season thanks to the Maranello-based operation’s interpretation of the all-new regulations.
During the electrifying 2022 season opener in Bahrain, Ferrari overshadowed the incumbents (Red Bull Racing and Mercedes F1) in spectacular fashion by claiming a one-two finish with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. They were leading the pack. They were back in business.
In fact, up until and including this year’s Australian Grand Prix – or the Miami Grand Prix for those of you feeling a little more generous – it seemed as though Mattia Binotto & Co had the W in the bag. But as any F1 fan who’s been around since before Netflix’s intervention will tell you, the season is long, fickle, and wickedly cruel.
Through a lethal combination of unreliable machinery, questionable team strategy, poor management, as well as plain old bad luck, Ferrari soon found itself on the back foot. Defending champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing were no longer chasing the Prancing Horse – the Prancing Horse was now desperately galloping to catch up.
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Perhaps the most appropriate example of the headline-making “fumble” was the most recent Hungarian Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc qualified to start in P2 and P3. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, on the other hand, were parked towards the back in P10 and P11. It should’ve been a lock… right? Apparently not. Recording a sensational drive, Verstappen charged his way up the grid to earn his 28th grand prix victory. As for Ferrari, they baffled the world with yet another race weekend to forget.
Around this stage, the script had also been re-flipped for Mercedes F1. The Toto Wolff-led outfit’s 2022 campaign had initially been informed by sub-par engineering, but later managed to pull it together and write an epic comeback story. Due in large part to the consistency of both seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton and wunderkind George Russell; as well as mechanical improvements to the Silver Arrows over time, of course.
Eventually, both Charles Leclerc (308 points) and Scuderia Ferrari (554 points) closed the chapter on the 2022 season as runner-ups in their respective championship standings, while the 246 points accrued by Carlos Sainz Jr rendered the Spaniard 5th. Admirable, sure, although in the realm of elite motorsport, history doesn’t remember you for coming second. And just in case we haven’t made it painfully clear: the titles were within their grasp not too long ago.
| Driver | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari F1-75 | Ferrari 066/7 1.6 V6 T | BHR 1 | SAU 2 | AUS 1 | EMI 6 | MIA 2 | ESP Ret | MON 4 | AZE Ret | CAN 5 | GBR 4 | AUT 1 | FRA Ret | HUN 6 | BEL 6 | NED 3 | ITA 2 | SIN 2 | JPN 3 | USA 3 | MXC 6 | SAP 4 | ABU 2 | 2nd | 308 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari F1-75 | Ferrari 066/7 1.6 V6 T | BHR 2 | SAU 3 | AUS Ret | EMI Ret | MIA 3 | ESP 4 | MON 2 | AZE Ret | CAN 2 | GBR 1 | AUT Ret | FRA 5 | HUN 4 | BEL 3 | NED 8 | ITA 4 | SIN 3 | JPN Ret | USA Ret | MXC 5 | SAP 3 | ABU 4 | 5th | 246 |
|---|
Mattia Binotto added: “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.”
“I would like to thank all the people at the Gestione Sportiva who have shared this journey with me, made up of difficulties but also of great satisfaction.”
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“I would like to thank Mattia Binotto for his many great contributions over 28 years with Ferrari and particularly for leading the team back to a position of competitiveness during this past year,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
“As a result, we are in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport.
“Everyone here at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wishes Mattia well for the future.”
Scuderia Ferrari has revealed the process of finding a new Team Principal is well underway and expected to be finalised sometime prior to the 2023 season start. Hopefully, the next big boss will actually be capable of taking the Prancing Horse’s reins instead of getting bucked off the saddle bu this noble steed.
