The failure and fallouts behind Ferrari's F1 team boss deciding to quit

Best thing RedBull can do is hire him as an engineer for Alpha Tauri. He may not have been the greatest teamboss but he seriously knows his technical stuff. I think he'd make an excellent chief designer or such.

I think Ferrari was willing to give Binotto another year but he felt that the team didn't have confidence in him so decided to leave.

I really think the biggest problem Binotto had this year was that he couldn't seem to admit when mistakes we're made. I agree there should not be a fear culture but you need to be able to address problems so you can find a solution.

RocketPoweredMohawk said it well 'as long as Ferrari are Italian they won't be successful. Last time Ferrari were successful, they were run by a Frenchman, an English man and their strategy was run by a man called Nigel from Kent '

It's a tough call but I'm not convinced Sacking Binotto was the way to go. Hiring and making responsible a strong race strategist and allowing Binotto to focus on the larger, picture and future of the team whilst retaining his effective oversight of the engineering side I believe would have been the optimum outcome.

I was hoping he would stay on at the team in a technical role. The guy has been with them his whole adult life. He practically lives there

The way Binotto guided the team out of the engine controversy and subsequent drop in performance always impressed me. At the time he explained their plan to improve and actually exceeded this plan. This year they fielded a car that bettered the Mercedes and achieved many pole positions. Comparatively, that was a great result for the team. I would have been keen to see what they could have achieved over the next two years under Binotto's calm leadership.

Any time a company offers its full, public support of a senior figure, the writing is on the wall.

I believe he would improve every single F1 team in a technical role that isn't as team principal & I truly hope that eventual team will be McLaren.

If they don't replace the strategist I don't see how this will help them much 😅

Binotto has a lot of options, he has Plan A to Plan Z he can choose from.😂

The core problem with Ferrari is that feelings are prioritized over logic.

I think people do underrate him despite what happens on track, like think of it only 2 years ago were they 6th, then last year he managed to get third while everyone said it was near impossible cause of 2020 and this year, while they couldn’t maintain it, they had a real battle for the championship until red bull started taking them by storm, so I’m not sure if this is the best call but generally the whole of Ferrari needs to get better

First. This is why the race is successful. Speed and quality of production. Second. I never understood why Ferrari were so awful under binotto. He's an engine guy in a chassis era. Makes some sense now if not all of it

I'm not a Ferrari fan by any means (far from it actually) but Binotto was a breath of fresh air for the F1 team. They were always famous for secrecy and being tight lipped but under his management the team was more open and relatable I think.

Binotto muscled his way in, and I still believe he was partly responsible for Vettel not winning the title. He expected the engine to give Ferrari a huge advantage but the FIA caught him. 2022 saw how he was hesitant to change, at the cost of repeated errors. It is likely that he lost support of Leclerc, and there was pressure on him making changes he did not want to.

1. I don't think that he was the reason for the Ferrari problems
2. I don't think he resigned volunteerly
3. A new Team Principal will not be the solution.
But I think they will take one from inside of Ferrari, even though I would like to see Vettel xD

Interesting power dynamic in Ferrari siding with there star driver, at least there are sensible board members seeing Leclerc's value instead of highlighting his one major mistake and ignoring the team's multiple failings
Also it's amazing that Christian Horner was the youngest team principal at his appointment and is the longest serving team principal for a single team and has seen 5 Ferrari team principals come and go, I can imagine a smug face on him going "who's the kid now" to his critics back then

If Ferrari wins next season, half of the credit should be given to Binotto as he was vital in the last 4 years bringing up Ferrari from the ground up again.

The issues were more frequent than not in the team. Too many wrong calls cost them positions and points. The result had to be a change at the top. Fresh outlook is required with a new approach of how the team should be run and how strategic decision mid race should be made. Am I sad to see him go? Yes, but I won't miss the indecision that plagued the team this year. It cost them races, pure and simple.

I think he should have left when he said that the team was NOT competing for the championship at the begin of the season. Imagine the message that sends to staff, fans and the drivers. The Race were spot on when they said that Merc and Red Bull won’t offer an opportunity to Ferrari to win, like they did this year.

Such a huge shame. The most promising and inspirational principal they have had in years - he came SO close to acheiving success - and within the rules.

It's amazing. The Race's video addressing the rumors of Binotto's upcoming sacking was one of the few times that I'd heard this channel give him a cautious vote of confidence, so of course he was out in a week or so.

Stable leadership is the secret behind Mercedes & Redbull's success, I was hoping Mattia would be Ferrari's. Nothing has been like Jean Todt's 1993-2007 run with the team

It was bound to happen.... This has been a consistent thing ferrari have done across their recent history.... From the very late 80s up to now.

I don’t think he’s the one should be quitting. Changing the top guy only make the team more unstable, even he may not be the best guy in the role. They just need a little bit more in every aspect, not a complete rebuild. But if they need change, maybe someone not Italian to be in charge could do them good.

"Next year will be our year" just turned into "next year will be their problem yet again, and fortunately I no longer have to deal with it anymore"

The tradition in Ferrari is that Bosses get their own drivers. Like Todt got Michael and Kimi, Stefano got Alonso, Arrivebene got Seb (actually it was Mitias or something) and Kimi, Binotto got Lerclerc and Sainz. Now, it'd be interesting to see who the new boss with bring. The tradition is to change the previous boss driver line up in Ferrari.

Good for Binotto. Better to choose your exit than be forced.

I probably would have given him another year. From the engine debacle thru the 2022 season there was steady improvement. But it was fairly obvious there was tension between him and Leclerc. Once that happened and it never seemed to really be resolved, the writing was on the wall for Mattia.

would be hilarious to see Guenther Steiner get a go at the top job

Personally for me was when they had a car to win the championship & Binotto's attitude was not to fight for it, that right there should've told you everything you needed to know about how the team was being managed. As a team principal being on pace with Redbull & ahead of Mercedes, I would absolutely be fighting for the championship full force. I would've started moving pieces as soon as the team started making mistakes. I would put absolute pressure for the drivers to perfom every weekend. Just my take. They were weak to begin with, mechanical they were on top, attitude was in the mud.

CTO role requirements are so different from Team Principal requirements... it is similar in other corporations. Highly-skilled people in one area of a business are not always good leaders, let alone CEO. Binotto should not have been named Principal in the first place. I really hope Ferrari finds its way back to a successful, inspiring team.

Im glad that Binotto took the reigns and made this call. He knows as good as anyone as soon as the rumours start in Maranello its just a matter of time. Wish him all the best.

After 28 years with Ferrari, I am quite sure he has built up a lot of close relationships with-in the engineering department. If I were Ferrari I would be more worried about who he takes with him. It would be so Toto Wolff or Christian Horner to offer Binotto a boatload of cash just to play head games with Ferrari.

There are rumours that Binotto already has 4 job offers with at least 1 at a top team. Do we know who these teams are and if they're roles as the team principle or a step back into being head of the technical department?

In over seventy years of racing, Ferrari has only had two team principals last more then a few years and only ONE team principal who wasn't Italian, Jean Todt.
It almost seems like the teams dedication to their Italian heritage has had more of a negative impact or it's just an absolutely massive coincidence that their most successful era in the sport came about when they were being led by a Frenchman, having their cars designed by a Brit and driven by a German lol.

ANYTIME anyone works with fear as a backdrop the results will show it! The one thing I noticed this year more than anything was the teams strategy during any race there appeared to be this underlying sense of panic in the decision making process where other teams even if they would make a decision that was not the best there was a sense of panic?!? Once you have both fear and panic in a high pressure environment like F1 nothing good can come out of it! Finally that fear is on full display by the simple fact that there is a swinging door at the top and that does absolutely no good because as the old saying goes shit runs downhill!

The problem with Ferrari is their utter inability to admit their mistakes and the complete detachment from reality they show sometimes. When Binotto said something along the lines of "the objective wasn't to win the championship but rather to be competitive" after throwing away some wins, I completely lost it. It makes no sense

The car was competitive whole season esspecially in the qualifying sessions, okay there was way too much technical and strategic issues but to be honest the Ferrari drivers where also way behind in setting consistent race pace than Red Bull and merc drivers. I believe if Lewis or even Fernando was behind the steer of this Ferrari things could be different. Esspecially Carlos should come much stronger for the next season.

thought he’d get one more year. Or maybe move back to a tech role. Just too many team related issues this year and that has to fall on the man at the top. I will say if Ferrari’s engine strategy works out over the next few years, Mattia will get his flowers from me lol. That’s why I thought he’d probably get one more season.

it is a shame. however, even though there were tensions in the team, looks like binotto didn't like that and fled. the main problem is that the very top keeps changing with having quite a few chairmen in a few years

Clutching defeat from the jaws of victory. Binotto

It's unfortunate he's moving on. It's the strategists who decide when to pit, what tires to use etc. But at the end of the day the buck stops with the Principal. And I agree Merc is looking like a serious threat for next year. Ferrari can't afford to make so many mistakes.

Binotto's place of expertise has always been in the engine plant, not the pit strategy wall. The number of tactical blunders and the fact that he refused to own up to them clearly frustrated the drivers, most notably Carlos Sainz Jr., Who overruled the pit wall on more than one occasion this year.

The main thing Binotto needed to do was reform the strategy department (Mekies and Rueda). Why did he not do this?

You hear it time and again, explicitly or otherwise, from non-Italians that have exited Ferrari... "Ferrari = Chaos" (Maybe what we know as 'chaos' in the English language translates to 'passion' in Italian?) This just makes what Ross Brawn was able to accomplish during his tenure all the more impressive.

If the decision remains as it is and they have a competitive car next year, i want to see what they will do to fill binottos gap, because who can be one with the team in such a sort time to communicate in the right way with them. See Williams, successful figure brought in and they still fight in the back, but no one argues. Binotto brought sainz in the team and he served well this year as second driver because he was far away from verstappen in points, next season maybe the story wont be that calm, and i would love to see Ferrari fail because of their own decisions, not keeping binotto, like they did in the past decade. Even if it is trust issues, you talk them out and figure a solution towards success.

Tbh Ferrari is gonna miss him, he might be a bad manager but he was the best engine designer in the Formula 1 Paddock

Binotto arguably is out because he outperformed expectations against the planned progression early in the season. Once the title seemed achievable, it was no longer enough to “just” be challenging MB for 2nd.

There were many times that Charles could have told the team that the strategy they gave him was wrong. Yes he did not tell them no, or caved to their wishes. It is clear he doesn’t want to be like Max in that regard, but he needs to be slightly more like Max if he wants to become a champion. Everyone loved Michael, but he was ruthless as soon as he strapped that helmet on. I only want the best for Ferrari as a fan of theirs, Charles just needs to let them know when something wont work, and stick to his guts as the 1st Driver.

Is this a bad thing for Ferrari after the season they had with all the strategy problems and execution in the pits? The buck stops at the top and that's Binotto, so the resigning was him leaving before being fired if anything. I am sure this is just the start of many being replaced because they can't continue to mindlessly give away points next season.

My 2¢, it kind of goes back to Areto Benes... But even then there was a sense that the culture of fear was pushed by something deeper than him If so Binoto's was only a replacement to cover-up a deeper problem.
This is where I am at with Binottos he had to go but not for the right reasons.
On the flip side he had Leclerc team, he no doubts want to win titles and time is going by age wise and time is going by contract wise 2025 is not that far.
The Long Term solution Ferrari appears to need is not a concern for the drivers.
If Binottos was trying to play the long game my bet would be that the next boss will play the (very) short game.
That to me seems like gambling instead of planning.
Never quite liked Binotto as a boss, wish he could have stayed within the family.

I was under the impression that Binotto was overly confident about the in-season development, deteriorated the team's relationship with Leclerc, and failed to hold people responsible when it needs to be done (Rueda and Xavi). He was indeed incapable of managing the entire team. On the other side Ferrari should have made its greatest effort to persuade him to be a technical personnel again.

All Juventus board resigned almost at the same time as Binotto. Maybe there will be a major restructuring all across Exor (Ferrari & Juventus major shareholder)

i personally believe that binotto completely leaving is a terrible move for Ferrari keeping him on the technical department was the right call. but looking at this years campaign i can definitely understand the move Ferrari has taken even tho his leadership goal was to not point fingers perhaps he took that too far and avoided taking and pointing the responsibilities of the failures when he had to especially about the ever disastrous strategy team and the forever delayed performance upgrades.

I think Ferrari jumped the gun. While the results are not what they expected, they should have given him one more year. I think this change will cause more pain for Ferrari in the medium term. I don't think they can be competitive till 2026 because of this decision unless (and this is a big unless) they get a dream team principle and technical director like they had in the early 2000s.

With or without him the outcome would be the same. And if I was Leclerc (after he had 43 points lead after Melbourne), I would race deliberately behind Max in the next races. This would mean I would still be ahead by 1 point after Canadian GP and not 49 behind like it happened!

I think Ferrari needed to do this, they had the drivers and the car at the start of the year to win the championship. I think they could have run the risk of Charles walking if the did nothing. The only thing is I'm not sure if they have picked the right man this time either. I thought a more high profile name would be worth the change.

That was a surprise ... and not . . .
Ferrari is definitely at a crisis now and have only themselves to thank for it.
After presenting the "ejection-seat" to Seidl and Horner who both refused, Mattia looked elsewhere.
That makes me so curious where he will end up AND who could held their lips sealed (Toto - replacement Andy Cowell?)
Ferrari at the meantime need to look at their approach on that leaderschip, so the real question is:
Do they need an "eject-seat" team principle (Vasseur?) or instead a manager who can lead the team to the ultimate price?
Patience will always be a big ask with the tifosi and Italian press all over them.
Having said that, change is needed and that takes bold and hard decisions... and stick by them.

Damn, I think there will be no 3 way battle for next year.

You 're right in saying he never "pointed the finger" or blamed anyone specific for Ferrari (let's call it) shortcomings in the last few seasons, but he never took responsibility for them either, which is what the guy in charge should do. And given his mantra "we are trying to understand what happen", he ( and some in the team) have not been able to learn from the mistakes that were made (personally, I don't think Leclerc is blameless on this front either).

This definitely seems to be a pressure from Leclerc camp after the Silverstone race.
Look at the words Mattia mentioned, clearly indicates he didn't want to leave the team. No person would leave on their own especially such a historic team. He will be hired soon and hopefully at a good team.
Meanwhile for Ferrari, just when things started getting right, they reset. I don't think this team will be able to win any championship and the competitors will be loving it

Yet another disturbance in the Ferrari camp which is not going to help the team move forward. I agree, that stability and focus would help the team more. We will wait and see what is next but it is a disgrace that Ferrari only came out with a statement bearly 2 weeks ago denying all the rumours, when in fact they proved to be correct.
I hope that Benotto will find satisfaction in a different area and that for him, all ends well. Buon Natale a te, Mattia!

Bringing in a French boss worked last time. (Jean Todd) Vasseur might be what the team needs. Ferrari had a very fast car and two very fast drivers but team tactics cost them points.

Huh, Christian Horner has been doing this for 17 years?
No wonder all my F1 memories somehow include him, despite his awesome name! 😁

I think having binotto gone could be a good move but i think that he is only part of the problem, personally i think the strategists and strategy calls of the past need to be reviewed.

they made such good progress, especially with the mentioned stabillity in the team. now their gonna fall back to third next year at least, if merc doesn't drop the ball again.

I'm sure Red bull got their eyes on him to lead the Red bull power train when "baseless rumours" spread and I believe Mattia has everything planned out before deciding to quit Ferrari, a company he has been with for the past 28 years.

Oh how Ferrari must yearn to have the Todd and Brawn days back again.
In the late 90’s they had a fundamentally slower car than the mclaren of Hakinnen and coulthard but we’re very very close to championships through ruthlessly excellent teamwork and strategy execution.

Binotto was excellent in his engine department role, even when they got it wrong in '14 having started so late, they still came back in '15. Renault for example took 8 years to catch up. The man simply was never a good fit for the team principal role, it was obvious in his very first year.

He probably went to sign his contract but tapped the "do not consent" button by mistake.

I reckon they will do a straight swap binnoto for versuer I don't see him being ousted entirely as he is still a good team principal to a degree with loads of expirence and maybe with a lesser pressure team like alfa romeo he might make it work

I liked Binotto more when he had a technical role in the team ! He's not the kind of person that can face the media ! I don't think he has anything more to offer to the team & I wish him all the best

If the rumours that Binotto wanted to fire the strategists and wasn't allowed to are true then he did the best he could with the team he was given.

This was needed, Binotto is not a team leader. Their strategists Inaki Rueda should have been sacked a long time ago, and he let this go on and on, and this is the visible part, who knows were else the team is falling and he dont react. Thank you Binotto for all the work done and all the best for the future, that for a man like him, will be super ok.

Other team better swarm over this man for technical role

it’s so sad to see this team self destruct every time

Ferrari just needed more decisive strategy once the reliability issues were sorted out. I don't think it was truly his fault that they faltered. I want nothing more than a more competitive battle for all teams, and we saw glimpses of that this year. But there has to be consistency. A team can't become a meme, like they did.
The biggest issue with F1 is the disparity between 1st and everyone else. I think he should have hung in there another year.

Don't rush with the hiring if they are so late already. Just select a person internally to be the Acting-TP for the time being and nail the hiring as and when you find that right person.

We should remember how far binotto has dragged ferrarri up from the midfield to mixing it up with redbull and mercedes. However, the idiotic mistakes on strategy and coordination on race days hamstrung the team. It was like going back to the 80's with the team.
Unfortunately ferrarri needs a core team, all pulling in the same direction, with the strength to tow the team behind them. Unless they find another braun, todt, Schumacher combination then they will revert back to tripping over themselves again.

Ferrari should have found a way to keep Binotto around because winning in this brutal sport takes time and consistency

They need to get rid of the strategy guy as well. I think and English or German needs to be in charge now.
Binotto's only failure was being too nice I think, if he had managed the mistakes properly even this season might have gone differently.

They should have hired a strategist similar to Red Bull. Team principal's role is to make well informed decisions and set up systems that facilitiates the performance of the team. A person with engeneering and statistical skills to point to the best spot for tyre changes. Also, you don't know who f***ed up the tyres at that occasion. On the relability side that was a calculated risk.

People forget how Binotto went behind his previous bosses back and lobbied that he could do better. He promoted the notorious Italian culture that everyone an F1 nose has always lingered about when he was making his ascension, yet completely repealed that behavior once in place. He is a true Machiavellian leader. He took it as far as he could go. He doesn’t have the right people developing the chassis because he has no expertise in that department. Ferrari is a team that can’t have Italian leader ship or culture managing the team because perfection will always be the goal, and not consistency.

Whoever is replacing Binotto, I hope they reform the entire strategy team and improve communication between pitwall and drivers.

Wishing him well for whatever path he follows next. Even if that path leads to a garden chair with a view.

Hypothetically speaking imagine if they bring someone from the past back like Ross Brawn. Could he make it work?

It's no massive surprise really is it? We've been expecting this since mid-summer.

The strategy has been the major failure during Binotto's time at Ferrari. It's never really been fixed.

Fred will likely come, but they could pinch Davide Brivio from Alpine and have a world championship team builder that would maintain good relationships in-house while making the most of Ferrari’s assets. That’s how Suzuki won the MotoGP championship in 2020.

Additional Note: As this video alludes too, Ferrari has other management issues to overcome. Their management style or shall i say their lack thereof is probably their biggest issue. #1 GET RID of their EGOS/PRIDE and appoint ONE person to have the authority to examine/dissect the company from top to bottom. Further to determine the best course of action that is relative to todays F1 - Management style, biggest problem areas etc down the line #1 - ............. then to properly appoint leaders/managers to head those problem areas with all reporting back to the number 1 guy. Ferrari has LONG had too much EGO/PRIDE that eats away at the soul of what the company should be fighting to achieve but cannot due to this massive/pervasive problem.
The number one killer in this world is EGO/PRIDE! It stops/kills both figuratively and literally more individual people and/or companies dead in their tracks on a daily basis that any illness ever has or will. Ferrari cannot and will not EVER reclaim its glory until they pull their heads out of their butts and realize what the issue is (among others) - THEN take the necessary steps to fix said issues. Thus, ensuring that it doesnt happen again..
Ok, lol, i am done - Have a Nice Day:)

Binotto didn’t do himself any favors by defending his strategists that were obviously incapable instead of admitting to the mistakes and fixing them. Also that “discussion” he had with Charles stands out to. The team can be run by Italian’s. But I think they need to look everywhere instead of inside and who’s still left over from the glory days.

well done. excellent summary. I appreciate the facts, and the lack of "click bait" so common on some of your peers sites. keep it up

Quitting to avoid the ‘shame’ of getting dropped (Ie what he deserved) and probably gets a better compensation etc.
The real question is are there any changes to the strategy team?

Hope they get it right so we can have a 3 team battle for the championship next year

Aw man I had my share of fun watching Binotto and crew tank every race but hearing him offer his resignation is kind of sad. Poor fella.

Binotto had to go, he achieved his targets but very unconvincingly. The team principal role just didn't suit him

Love Ferrari. They bring comedy to a very serious sport so I hope they keep going.

It was clear the writing was on the wall for Binotto given I heard his relationship with Charles broke down completely after Sliverstone. It’s clear his camp pushed for change. I fully expect Fred to take over in the new year. He will make Charles the clear number 1 driver.