The exit of Ferrari’s Team Principal Mattia Binotto

Team Principal of Ferrari Mattia Binotto has announced his exit from the team, after rumours that circulated for several weeks. Ferrari owned the fastest car this season and leveraged the new technical regulations to successfully win 4 Grand Prix titles, 12 pole positions and 20 podium finishes. While strategic errors were committed, they ended the season as second in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.Binotto’s exit has thus been especially surprising, as the team that he has been a part of for 28 years, looks to be a top contender for next season’s F1 title.

A potential cause for Binotto’s exit is the retirement of CEO Louis Camilleri in 2020, who was known to be a source of support for Binotto, who allowed him the freedom to lead it as he saw fit. The absence of Camilleri is understood to have increased the pressure of Binotto. Furthermore, a series of strategic errors, and silence from the management when he raised concerns about being replaced, are the potential causes for his resignation.

 Binotto leaves behind a legacy of overhauling the blame-game culture at Ferrari, where he addressed all concerns privately. He also oversaw renovations to their wind tunnel which had been a team vulnerability and approved the design for the most advanced simulator in the sport today. Under his leadership, Ferrari also fixed issues in its power unit, which in 2020, ranked the worst among those of the top 4 manufacturers, but is now comparable to the power units of Honda and Red Bull. Among Binotto’s potential substitutes are Fred Vasseur, who is head at Alpha Romeo, and has previously led Alpine, and may look to leave his current position, after Alpha Romeo’s partnership with Audi gets underway in 2026.