Mattia Binotto: Right Decision or Ferrari Scapegoat?

Ferrari’s Team Principle, Mattia Binotto, set to leave the team at the end of the year but was it the right call or is he a Ferrari scapegoat?

It was announced on Tuesday that Binotto was due to leave the team at the end of the season. Rumours began circulating around Scuderia Ferrari’s top job after Gazzette dello Sport reported the team were due to sack Binotto, to make way for Alfa Romeo’s Team Principle, Frederic Vassuer.

Ferrari returned to competitive form for the first time this season, since 2019, after the team suffered two horrid years battling through the midfield. However, through their own doing, their title hopes quickly faded as Red Bull got a firm grip around their RB18.

Despite Red Bull charging off into the distance, securing both the drivers and constructors titles in the process, Ferrari still managed to secure second place in both standings: a great accomplishment based on the previous two seasons.

Considering the team failed to secure a single win in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, it wouldn’t be hard fought to believe the performance – this season – should have been enough for Binotto to retain his position.

However, according to those at Ferrari, that still wasn’t good enough for Binotto to keep his job at Maranello.

While it is understandable to see most of the problems lie at his feet – as Team Principle – the problems do not necessarily lie solely with him: the rest of the Ferrari team’s management structure need to share their portion of the blame.

Failings with reliability, questionable strategies, driver errors and pit lane dramas have meant Ferrari tripped over their own feet instead of remaining out in front of Red Bull.

It is worth noting that Binotto seemed to try and steer Ferrari towards a no-blame culture at the Italian outfit, in a bid to retain some stability within the teams’ structure.

Binotto’s swift answer rejecting Nico Rosberg’s comments, at the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix, where the 2016 world champion stated personnel changes were needed, showed such ambition.

Where some could have seen it as denial, it probably shifted the blame at a team problem rather than an individual issue.

It is understandable that Ferrari will want to return to its former glory days; fighting for race wins week-in-week-out, and securing titles left, right and center, but there must be some sort of logic behind the upper management’s decision.

Despite this, it looks as if results have overthrown logic – short-term gain for long-term pain.

At the end of the day, it is Ferrari’s first-time back fighting for race wins and potential championships, and that has to be worth something. Going up against the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes this season – especially after 2021, securing both titles shouldn’t be a measured target for the Scuderia.

It’s like Mercedes throwing out Toto Wolff for failing to secure the constructors championship, this season, after they secured the last eight titles.

The team should have remained faithful to its leadership and measured their position against the 2023 results. However, it looks as if Ferrari have looked for someone to blame and found their scapegoat in Binotto.

That’s it for the article; Mattia Binotto: Right Decision or Ferrari Scapegoat?

What do you think, did Ferrari make the right choice or were they looking for someone to blame? Let us know in the comments!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Mattia Binotto resigns as Ferrari Team Principle
• Porsche Supercup extends partnership with Formula 1
• Daniel Ricciardo joins Red Bull in 2023 as third driver
• Chinese Grand Prix expected to be cancelled… again
• Williams confirm Logan Sargeant for 2023
• Daniel Ricciardo ‘highly likely’ to return to Red Bull Racing

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.