Italian media recalls background stories of Mattia Binotto’s team management. Italian media recalls background stories of Mattia Binotto's team management.

Mattia Binotto’s Ferrari exit – given as certain by all major news outlets on Friday, despite the fact that it is not yet official – was once again the main topic of discussion in the Italian media, which pointed out that the change at the top of Ferrari’s Racing Department will indeed happen. As underlined by the engineer from Reggio, “there is always great passion around Ferrari” and this cannot fail to translate into speculation and rumors that the main Italian media have reported to better explain the story.

For Leo Turrini, in the columns of Quotidiano Nazionale, “Mattia had few friends in the factory. And he knew it, he knew who called him “the Pharaoh’ behind his back. He was wearing the social climber’s tag. He didn’t help himself with the media ostentation”. For the Italian journalist it is a defeat for the entire Ferrari team, including Ferrari “understood as a myth”, for the president John Elkann, Mattia Binotto, Charles Leclerc (because “he shouldn’t have allowed his entourage to play a role in this sad epilogue ” and that “from now on he will be the scapegoat“) and finally Carlos Sainz (because he was specifically wanted by Mattia Binotto).

Corriere dello Sport, in an article by Fulvio Solms, revealed that “until yesterday Mattia Binotto would have presided over some meetings” and that “discontent will spread among the technicians he had protected up to now”, then placing the emphasis on the role of first driver for Charles Leclerc, with Carlos Sainz’s father who would have “already spoken” with Audi for the future of his son (the German company will associate with Sauber starting with the 2026 Formula 1 season, ed). The Italian newspaper from Rome also recounted a background story that would have contributed to the decision to replace Mattia Binotto, relating to the Haas’ choice not to renew Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher‘s contract for the 2023 Formula 1 season and instead sign Nico Hulkenberg to complete its line-up: “However, it is rumoured that it was Frederic Vasseur who pushed Haas to hire Nico Hulkenberg, who knows if making it clear that he is the future team principal of Ferrari”, speaking of a “snub from Haas” which resulted in a Ferrari left without a “good driver” as a reserve for 2023 and a poor relationship with Haas and between Mattia Binotto and Guenther Steiner. Finally, Mauro Coppini, in his editorial that was published by Corriere dello Sport, spoke of “an increasingly less Ferrari-like team”.

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