Former F1 driver-turned-TV pundit Martin Brundle claims the Ferrari-Mattia Binotto fiasco looks strange as the Italian team has no well-experienced replacement for the outgoing team principal. Binotto parted ways with the Maranello-based squad after the team was unable to capitalize on their pacey 2022 challenger.
Brundle said at the Guild of Motoring Writers' Annual Awards dinner:
“You're working for a country there at Ferrari, not just a team, of course. They've lost their chief technical officer and their team principal, so unless they have got somebody very, very good to replace him straightaway, it all looks a little bit strange. But that's the nature of it.”
BREAKING: Mattia Binotto will leave his position as Ferrari team principal at the end of 2022#F1 https://t.co/wVzdS12IcG
The Scuderia were the ones to beat in the early part of the 2022 F1 season, with Charles Leclerc having emerged as the clear title favorite. Things, however, soon went south after the team started to make simple strategic errors and also suffered a string of reliability issues and mechanical failures. This allowed Red Bull and Max Verstappen to breeze their way to a comfortable win of both titles, putting Mattia Binotto's skills in doubt.
The Italian decided to part ways with Ferrari after allegedly feeling like he did not have the total backing of its CEO Benedetto Vigna and Chairman John Elkann. In light of these events, Martin Brundle claimed it would be strange if the Maranello-based team didn't have a top-level replacement for Binotto.
Ferrari likely to announce new team principal on New Year's Day
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto announced his resignation from the team after an unsuccessful 2022 season. While the Scuderia is yet to announce its new team principal, reports reveal that the new boss will begin on January 1st, 2023.
Current Alfa Romeo team boss Fred Vasseur is reportedly going to be the man to replace Binotto in the Maranello-based team. Vasseur worked with 2022 rival protagonist Charles Leclerc when the Monegasque raced for Sauber earlier in his career.
Will be a shame to see Mattia Binotto go. Always found him to be interesting & willing to chat. He tried to create a no-fear, no-blame culture & as a part of that, he didn’t make the changes he should have.Changing just the TP isn’t the answer - they need wider re-structuring
Mattia Binotto was unable to lead the team to success despite them having a car that could best Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the early part of the season. The Italian team suffered from a string of reliability and strategic issues, causing them to lose a lot of points to the title-winning pair.
Many in the F1 world expect the Maranello-based squad to be on the back foot in 2023 due to a change in top-level management. This, however, solely depends on who their next team principal is and how they manage the heritage team. The Scuderia have the potential to win titles but have not had the management to do so in many years, so a change in management is welcomed by some Tifosi.
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