With the departure of Mattia Binotto, the “fort” of the Ferrari Formula 1 Racing Division is no longer there. The Italian engineer had distanced himself and, together with those who followed and supported him until the end, had tried to maintain total decision-making autonomy in matters of Formula 1.
In the first year of the ground effect single-seaters, Mattia brought home a second place in the drivers’ world championship with Charles Leclerc and also a second place in the constructors’ championship, taking four victories and twelve pole positions, as well as a total of twenty podiums.
When analyzed objectively, the sporting result cannot be considered as poor, especially since the F1-75 was a car designed well: on the contrary, it gave the impression of being able to fight for the two titles with a lightning-fast start to the season which surprised even Red Bull, who then dominated the 2022 Formula 1 championship with Max Verstappen.
Everyone knew that Wolf Zimmerman’s “Superfast” engine was an unknown factor: Mattia Binotto had expressly wanted to homologate a very strong power unit from a performance point of view, aware that Ferrari would have to pay something in terms of reliability.
And the 066/7 presented itself as a powerful engine, capable of matching Honda and Mercedes even with the new E10 fuel, but it proved to be fragile, facing repeated failures that undermined the pace of the F1-75 car.
Everything had been put into the account: after all, the FIA allowed teams to work on the reliability of the power unit and not on performance, so the path taken was the right one.
The top management of Ferrari were perfectly aware of this: John Elkann, president, and Benedetto Vigna, managing director, did not utter a word, letting Mattia Binotto play his game to the end: he had promised a competitive Ferrari with the change of regulations, after two years of disappointing moments, and he showed up on the track in Bahrain with a “mature” car, capable of inflaming the Tifosi right away.
The previous two seasons of “agony” (how can we forget the secret agreement with the FIA which at the end of 2019 limited the engine for alleged irregularities that have never been demonstrated?) made it possible to shift the focus and resources on the F1-75: Ferrari started its own streamlined aerodynamic direction, very original, with large sidepods equipped with the upper cutout. A different concept from Red Bull and Mercedes, easy to fine-tune.
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Perhaps the start surprised the Scuderia itself, but looking back at 2022, it clearly emerges that in Maranello they bet on a lightning-fast start, taking into account that development of the car would stop before its rivals.
In any case, with that engine (six instead of three were needed to finish the season!) Ferrari was never going anywhere. And there are those who argue that the entire budget allocated for the F1-75 was not spent, being aware that it was better to direct resources to the 675 project, to make the most of the cost limitations.
In the meantime, Enrico Gualtieri’s engineers worked with the suppliers to fix the cause of the “Superfast” engine failure, finding the key to extending the life of the 066/7 which also made the customer teams (Alfa Romeo and Haas) suffer. And there is cautious optimism ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 campaign.
Mattia Binotto, with his status of “last of the Mohicans”, was left free to go his own way, because he did not want to listen to the “advice” that came from above. In the fort he shielded his team even when they were not defensible: the management of the drivers (the sympathy for Carlos Sainz, the driver chosen by Mattia and not inherited from Marchionne, was never hidden) and the race strategies were the most obvious, but in general we have seen a very “silent” Ferrari when they should have made their voice heard.
When the FIA, inspired by Mercedes, introduced the TD39 which forced Red Bull and Ferrari to lift their cars by losing load in favor of those who, like Mercedes, did not have downforce, Mattia had to play a solitary game. Enzo Ferrari, but also Luca di Montezemolo or Sergio Marchionne would have threatened not to go to Spa, because what was implemented was an unacceptable change of regulation during the season, which had nothing to do with safety.
The Ferrari top management have turned the other way, starting to work on a new course that opens with the advent of Fred Vasseur. The Frenchman knocked down all the fences of the fort with the intention of freeing up the energies that exist in Ferrari and are not limited to the Gestione Sportiva.
Fred was appointed Team Principal and General Manager of the Scuderia, not Managing Director as Mattia Binotto was. The topic was addressed in the first press conference with the media…
“I can say that it seems a bit of an issue of language, because the Scuderia is not a traditional company, so there is no real CEO. The Scuderia is a department of Ferrari, so there is no CEO, I think there is some confusion externally. My role is clear and my goal is clear, to win the title by leading the team, from the choice of drivers to the mechanics.”
“I don’t know the Ferrari structure of thirty years ago, but today it is clear: I will report to Mr. Vigna. And John (Elkann)’s support for me is total.”
Fred Vasseur will therefore report to Benedetto Vigna who assumes a more present role also in sport. And it is right not to limit the discussion to Formula 1, because Antonello Coletta, head of GT Sports Activities, also reports to the CEO, giving the clear feeling that Ferrari is one, without demarcations.
The demonstration has already been noted in an integrated communication regarding the announcements of the drivers who will drive the 499P in the WEC and the GT ones with the 296 through the Scuderia: it may seem unusual, in reality they are the evidence of an attempt at change which brings this Ferrari closer to its history, when GPs and Endurance racing were experienced as a single entity.
Is the new way right or wrong? The results will tell, but the Scuderia’s transformation has been underway for some time, because racing too has been integrated into a company system that is constantly changing to respond as flexibly as possible to the demands of a market that changes all too quickly.
There are those who, commenting on the new Ferrari political line, have their roots in 1969 when the Drake signed the agreement with Gianni Agnelli, demanding that the Scuderia remain independent from FIAT control. As if today the Ferrari F1 Racing Division lost a status that had lasted for over 50 years. In reality there have been intrusions in Turin and over time they have been increasingly strong, especially after the founder’s death, and often they have not been the bearers of victories.
Today’s situation is profoundly different and represents the beginning of a new course: today’s Ferrari is a “money machine” that no longer has its links with industry. It runs with his legs in an isolation in which it can’t afford to make mistakes. And for this it must be strong, very strong: motorsport, therefore, is strategic for driving research and innovation…
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