Binotto steps down as Ferrari F1 team principal 

After weeks of speculation Mattia Binotto has reigned as team principal of Scuderia Ferrari.

Binotto has called Ferrari home since 1995 performing a number of roles including team principal for the last four seasons, but 2022 will be his last in red.

The Swiss-born engineer will stay at Maranello until December 31 before his departure and the Italian team hopes to finalise a replacement in the new year.

Ferrari issued a statement on Tuesday night confirming it had accepted Binotto’s decision to leave.

It has been rumoured Binotto no longer felt he had the full support of Ferrari chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna despite bringing the Scuderia back to the front of the grid.

Mattia Binotto has made the tough call to step down as team principal of Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the year. Photo by Mark Sutton / Sutton Images

Binotto said it was an emotional and tough decision to depart the team he has served for almost three decades, but believed it was in the best interests of the prancing horse.

“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” he said when the news was broken by Autosport.

“I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set.

“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.”

Eddie Irvine stands with Mattia Binotto during the 1997 Argentinian Grand Prix. Photo by Ercole Colombo / Studio Colombo

Vigna said Binotto’s impact made during his many decades at Ferrari will not be forgotten.

“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.”

Binotto’s resignation completes a crazy 2022 for Ferrari, which started full of hope and promise, but ended in disappointment.

After Charles Leclerc won two of the first three races and enjoyed a 46-point lead on Max Verstappen, the Scuderia appeared well placed to win its first world championship in 14 years.

Mattia Binotto and Charles Leclerc during happier times at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images

However, the championship assault quickly started to fall apart due to a mixture of strategy blunders, mechanical failures and driver errors.

These mistakes allowed Verstappen and Red Bull to cruise to one of the most dominant championship wins ever, while Ferrari was left to wonder how it could only convert four of its 12 pole positions to wins – the sixth worst pole to win ratio ever.

Binotto’s departure means Ferrari must find its fifth team principal in the space of eight years.

After Marco Mattiacci and Maurizio Arrivabene both tried and failed to lead Ferrari to the ultimate glory following Stefano Domenicali’s departure in 2014, Binotto was brought in to turn the ship around in 2019.

Following some extremely painful winless years in 2020 and 2021, the Scuderia looked to turn a corner, but the same issues which held back its 2017 and 2018 championship assaults returned, sparking growing frustration amongst the team’s passionate fanbase.

With Binotto now also leaving Maranello prematurely, Ferrari must turn to a new leader to try and break the 14-year championship less spell. 

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