Why Ferrari Binotto divorce threatens upward curve

Ewan Gale
Tuesday 29 November 2022 09:03 - Updated: 09:14

F1's latest worst-kept secret is finally out following Mattia Binotto's resignation from his position as Ferrari team principal.

The Italian leaves the Scuderia after its best season since 2019, albeit a campaign that ultimately disappointed as Red Bull stormed to both championships.

The extent of the failures within the Ferrari ranks always suggested Binotto would leave at the end of the season, but will this help the Maranello-based team move forward?

Binotto achievements must not be overlooked

It must not be forgotten how far the team has come under Binotto.

As recently as 2020, Ferrari ensured its worst season in 40 years, with the entire operation seemingly devoid of optimism.

Performances at least began to head in the right direction last season before the new regulations afforded a clean slate that allowed the team to start advancing toward the front.

Two wins from the opening three races left Ferrari as the favourite for the title but strategic issues, reliability failures, and driver errors, notably from its 'lead' driver Charles Leclerc, all put paid to any hopes of victory.

Stability is usually key when building success within Ferrari. The issues for the team over the past season are easier to eradicate than the type of fundamental car problem the likes of Mercedes experienced.

But instead of stability, Ferrari now moves to find a fifth team principal in nine years following Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene and Binotto.

Binotto jumps before the push

It would be fair to say that if Binotto hadn't jumped, he would have been pushed by internal pressure building at Ferrari.

When you work for the Scuderia, you experience more pressure than at any other team.

The Italian media is quick to jump on Ferrari's back when things go wrong, and the Tifosi joins in with the beating. This usually translates into board pressure on an employee.

For Binotto, the frequency of operational failures was seemingly too great to overcome. Almost every race featured a mishap strategically that cost one of its drivers a heap of points.

Ultimately, these failures can be traced back to when Sebastian Vettel was still a Ferrari driver and would bring into question the ability to overcome the fundamental issues in camp.

It is a sad end to what had been a promising season for Ferrari.

As to his replacement, Alfa Romeo's Fred Vasseur has been heavily linked but let's wait and see what the future holds.

At this stage, though, despite further progress in securing second position in both championships, rocking the boat may hinder more than it helps.