Scuderia Ferrari will officially confirm the name of Mattia Binotto‘s replacement as team principal in the next few weeks, ahead of Christmas, according to the Italian media.
Italian news outlets inform that the Maranello team is close to making a decision regarding its new team boss, as Alfa Romeo’s Frederic Vasseur remains the favourite.
Ferrari also held talks with McLaren boss Andreas Seidl for a possible move to Maranello, but without a successful outcome: “I don’t know if the rumours are true, but I do know he’s not going anywhere,” McLaren boss Zak Brown explained – “I don’t know the inner workings at Ferrari, but it seemed to me that Mattia was doing a pretty good job.” – he added.
A few days ago, Haas’ team principal Gunther Steiner said that in a recent discussion with Mattia Binotto, the former team boss revealed that Ferrari’s power unit for the next Formula One championship is “a bomb”.
Alfa Romeo’s Frederic Vasseur, meanwhile, may be having to face some immediate problems given the speculation that his future appointment has angered the Charles Leclerc camp led by Vasseur’s former business partner Nicholas Todt.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
“Was it really necessary to change the man at the top?” former Scuderia Ferrari driver and Formila 1 legend Mario Andretti said in a recent interview for Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I’d have to know more about it before making an informed judgement. What is clear to me is that there needs to be a change in strategy, but when you have such a fast car, you don’t need to be drastic about it. It is true that we saw certain stupidities and I don’t know who was responsible for that. When I think about how Charles Leclerc was sent onto the track in Brazil with intermediates – mamma mia!” – the former Ferrari driver added.
If Frederic Vasseur will in fact be confirmed as the new Maranello team principal, Ferrari will end its recent and somewhat counterproductive approach of appointing Italian bosses who are eventually sacked ousted – like as Maurizio Arrivabene, Marco Mattiacci, Stefano Domenicali and most recently Mattia Binotto, even if officially Binotto handed in his resignation.
“I have a positive opinion of Mattia Binotto and I think he should have stayed,” former Ferrari boss Cesare Fiorio said in a recent discussion with Italy’s Autosprint. “In the F1-75, he has put a competitive and advanced machine on the asphalt. He is a very good engineer, but as a team principal he still needed some experience. But I do believe that he was doing it better and better over time. I would have found a way to keep Binotto on the team,” Fiorio added. “On a technical level, he really achieved the goals.” – the former Ferrari team principal added.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was linked to a shocking move to Maranello, but a few days ago he rejected the idea of taking charge of the Ferrari Racing Department:
“The papers said that he said no,” Cesare Fiorio continued. “But I don’t believe that he turned down the job. And he is someone who could have performed the task well.”
When asked about Frederic Vasseur possibly joining Scuderia Ferrari, Cesare Fiorio concluded: “He’s had success in other classes, so at least he has a good resume.”
Leave a Reply