Binotto resigns as Ferrari team boss after title failure
Ferrari Formula One boss Mattia Binotto has resigned and will leave at the end of the year, the championship runners-up revealed yesterday.
The news came after media speculation that the 53-year-old, whose contract was due to expire at the end of next year, had lost top-level support after another failed title challenge.
Possible successors include Frederic Vasseur, who runs Swissbased Sauber and is principal of the Alfa Romeo team, which counts China’s Zhou Guanyu among its drivers.
“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” the sports car manufacturer quoted Binotto as saying in a statement announcing his departure.
“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.”
Ferrari said they expected the search for a replacement to be finalised in the new year.
Italian media have suggested Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna could take on the role on an interim basis.
Ferrari made a strong start to this season after two years without a victory, but their hopes were dashed by mechanical unreliability, strategy errors and driver mistakes.
Although the Maranello-based team won four races, they were distant runners-up to dominant Red Bull and Max Verstappen.