Outgoing Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has penned an emotional statement after the Prancing Horse accepted his resignation. Drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc endured a troubled 2022 season as numerous poor team decisions allowed Max Verstappen to race into the distance and clinch the title.
Binotto has been with Ferrari for 28 years, first working with their engine department, moving onto technical director and finally becoming team principal. After a frustrating few seasons, the team started 2022 with a competitive car as Leclerc won two of the first three Grands Prix.
Ferrari remain one of the heavyweights on the F1 grid despite having failed to win a Constructors’ Championship since 2008. They seemed to have the pace to trouble Red Bull but steadily fell behind as Verstappen put together one of the most dominant individual seasons on record.
“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” said Binotto in a statement released by Ferrari. “I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the convinction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set.
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“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.” Ferrari have confirmed that the process is already underway to appoint a new team principal and it will be finalised in the new year, with Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur among the front-runners.
Ferrari eventually finished more than 200 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship as reliability issues and strategical errors plagued parts of their season. Neither Leclerc nor Sainz managed to win any of the final 11 Grands Prix as Verstappen continued his streak of dominance and won an unprecedented 15 races in a single year.
Rumours of Binotto’s departure began to surface before the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but Ferrari came out and denied the rumours as ‘totally without foundation’. The official statement came less than two weeks later, however, and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has wished him well for the future.
“I would like to thank Mattia 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,” he said.
“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.”
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