“May Not Be Toto Wolff but…”: Mattia Binotto Given the Benefit of Doubt Despite Problematic Ferrari Era

The ticking time bomb of Ferrari’s patience has finally exploded and Mattia Binotto departed in the aftermath. Ferrari announced that the Italian team principal had penned his resignation from his job. The coffin on the nail was perhaps Binotto failing to challenge Red Bull and Max Verstappen this year despite having rolled out a competitive car.

Mattia Binotto replaced Maurizio Arrivabene in 2019 as the Maranello teams’ team principal. Under his regime, Ferrari endured one of the worst seasons in F1 in 2020 when they finished P6 in the constructor’s championship. However, Binotto somehow escaped the sack, and they bounced back to finish 3rd in WCC the following year.

Binotto might not have had a glorious stint in his time as the boss, but it wasn’t all bad, according to Joe Saward. The British journalist revealed that the Italian’s approach brought stability and a change in dynamics at the Maranello team. He also compared him to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Saward wrote in his blog, “Mattia Binotto may not be Toto Wolff, but he has overseen an upshift in Ferrari performance thanks to providing stability and a culture in which people are willing to take risks and come up with new ideas.”

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Ferrari finished P2 in the WCC behind Red Bull this year. They will hope to win their first constructor’s championship since the 2008 season.

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes the pressure is not an excuse for Ferrari personnel

Being a former F1 driver, Karun Chandhok certainly knows a thing or two about pressure. Ferrari boasts of having one of the most passionate and loyal supporters in the world. Naturally, the pressure involved with a job at Ferrari is going to be high.

However, the Indian racer believes that is not an excuse for the team to hide behind. They pay employees working for Ferrari a huge amount to get the job done; he justified. Chandhok said, “‘That’s why they’re all in it, isn’t it? They’re in this game to win, that’s why their paid the big bucks. They’re not being paid five-figure salaries to do their jobs.”

He further mentioned, “They’re paid six, seven-figure salaries, so you’re paid to deal with the pressure, just like drivers are paid big money to deal with the pressure and the risks and the dangers. That’s part of the territory, it’s what you’ve signed up for,”

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Ferrari will look to hire a new boss as quickly as possible. Moreover, after last season’s P2 finish in both, the WDC and WCC, they’ll be looking to do one better and win at least one if not both the championship. Will the Italian giants succeed in their mission?